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Single Idea 1643

[filed under theme 7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / e. Being and nothing ]

Full Idea

When the question was put to us as to the name of 'that which is not', to whatever one must apply it, we got stuck in every kind of perplexity. Are we now in any less perplexity about 'that which is'?

Gist of Idea

If statements about non-existence are logically puzzling, so are statements about existence

Source

Plato (The Sophist [c.359 BCE], 250d)

Book Ref

Plato: 'The Sophist', ed/tr. Bernadete,Seth [University of Chicago 1986], p.45

A Reaction

Nice. This precapitulates the whole story of modern philosophy of language. What started as a nagging doubt about reference to non-existents ends as bewilderment about everything we say.

The 16 ideas from 'The Sophist'

1636 Wickedness is an illness of the soul [Plato]
1637 A soul without understanding is ugly [Plato]
1638 Didactic education is hard work and achieves little [Plato]
20478 In discussion a person's opinions are shown to be in conflict, leading to calm self-criticism [Plato]
11278 What does 'that which is not' refer to? [Plato]
1641 Some alarming thinkers think that only things which you can touch exist [Plato]
7022 To be is to have a capacity, to act on other things, or to receive actions [Plato]
1642 We must fight fiercely for knowledge, understanding and intelligence [Plato]
1643 If statements about non-existence are logically puzzling, so are statements about existence [Plato]
287 Good analysis involves dividing things into appropriate forms without confusion [Plato]
16122 Good thinkers spot forms spread through things, or included within some larger form [Plato]
1644 Dialectic should only be taught to those who already philosophise well [Plato]
10422 The not-beautiful is part of the beautiful, though opposed to it, and is just as real [Plato]
15855 If we see everything as separate, we can then give no account of it [Plato]
1645 The desire to split everything into its parts is unpleasant and unphilosophical [Plato]
10784 Whenever there's speech it has to be about something [Plato]