Single Idea 24231

[catalogued under 26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / e. The One]

Full Idea

The One has no share of time, nor is it in any time. …The One in no way partakes of being, so the One in no way is. …The One neither is one nor is. …It is not named or spoken of, nor is it the object of opinion, nor does anything that is perceive it.

Gist of Idea

The One is timeless, has no being or identity, and cannot be known

Source

Plato (Parmenides [c.366 BCE], 141d-142a)

Book Reference

Plato: 'Complete Works', ed/tr. Cooper,John M. [Hackett 1997], p.375


A Reaction

[Phrases lifted from a page-long detailed argument] Given all of this, it is surprising that the One is not dismissed entirely. That leaves it as an object of mystical belief.