In ancient thought memory has long been regarded as a magnificent instrument of the soul. Up until this point, it has remained a rather open question to what extent Augustine draws from Neoplatonic...Show moreIn ancient thought memory has long been regarded as a magnificent instrument of the soul. Up until this point, it has remained a rather open question to what extent Augustine draws from Neoplatonic sources and possibly from Roman mnemotechnics, as well as from developments of contemporary Christian doctrine in in order to structure and formulate his thought on memory. Although Augustine thematises the concept of memory throughout his literary works, book X of the Confessions stands out as a definite and original analysis of memory. In it, we see how Augustine traverses the vast spaces of his memory, retrieving from its hidden recesses all kinds of mental images and objects, his past experiences, himself, his forgetfulness, with the aim to find God, whom he could not find in the world around him. Interestingly, book X presents us not just with an extensive theory of memory as a cognitive function, but as the place through which we attain knowledge of the highest Being, namely God. In this thesis I will attempt to address the extent to which Augustine’s analysis of memory in Book X of his Confessions is influenced by and differs from the Ancient Western philosophical tradition that went before him through three different themes: i) the structure by which we attain Beauty, ii) the objects of memory and iii) the metaphysics of Being in memory. All themes lend themselves for comparative analysis. The Form of Beauty is for Plato, and later for Plotinus not something immanently graspable. We need to go through some process, that is characterized as an ascent in order to attain it. Likewise, Augustine traverses memory in search of God, who is Beauty in an apparently similar fashion. Chapter 2 will engage with the structure of the ascent in order to answer the question whether Augustine views our reconciliation with God as a like-mannered ascent. In Chapter 3, another comparison is made, now on the subject of memory proper, specifically with regard to its function and objects. A classical text by Aristotle, De Memoria, although probably unknown to Augustine, offers nonetheless one of the most comprehensive competing theories on memory. The comparison sets out to establish the key differences between the texts, with which we can more firmly argue for Augustine’s originality. Finally, chapter 4 seeks out the “metaphysics” discussed in book X. Augustine addresses the Being of God in a distinctly Christian manner, which differs extensively from Plotinus’ metaphysical views on the One. The overall picture that emerges from this thesis is that book X of the Confessions contains persisting Neoplatonic traces that Augustine either incorporates into a Christian framework, or discontinues altogether in order to bring into light the Being of God. Memory is set at the core of human cognition, as the place that we traverse in search of God, and in which we predict, imagine, contemplate. In it we find memories that haunt us, but also those that bring delight and hope. Ultimately, happiness can only be attained beyond memory, by finding it in TruthShow less
I argue for a reconstruction of the relation between the mathematical example of defining “power” by Theaetetus and the later three attempted definitions of knowledge in Plato’s dialogue: the...Show moreI argue for a reconstruction of the relation between the mathematical example of defining “power” by Theaetetus and the later three attempted definitions of knowledge in Plato’s dialogue: the Theaetetus. The reason for the reconstruction is that the relation in question is either understood weakly in an analogical way or negatively as a contrast of methods between mathematics or philosophy. I maintain that the textual evidence in the Theaetetus for a positive reading of this relation should be respected and the mathematical example of defining “power” is actually a model for the discussion of defining knowledge. The analysis will show that in Theaetetus’ definition of power, he goes from circumscribing the infinite in √3 and √5 in one line to dividing the number into groups; that is, the definition of “power” requires presenting the infinite in a certain number, which could be further positioned in a certain group of number by division. The definition of knowledge goes through similar stages. Relevant discussions move from those on the infinite or many to the necessity of one and then to those on the relation between wholes and parts. Therefore, the mathematical example of defining “power” is a model for defining “knowledge” in that it provides a crucial framework that is the very concern of knowledge.Show less
De centrale vraag die ik in deze masterthesis probeer te beantwoorden is: met welk resultaat voor zijn argumentatie zet Boëthius delen van de 'Timaeus' in 'De consolatione philosophiae' in? Met...Show moreDe centrale vraag die ik in deze masterthesis probeer te beantwoorden is: met welk resultaat voor zijn argumentatie zet Boëthius delen van de 'Timaeus' in 'De consolatione philosophiae' in? Met andere woorden, wordt Boëthius’ argumentatie beter door de 'Timaeus' in te zetten of had hij er goed aan gedaan een andere strategie te kiezen? Ik focus op de wijze waarop Boëthius de 'Timaeus' als bron heeft gebruikt om specifieke filosofische accenten te leggen en daar een agenda uit af te leiden. Echo’s van de 'Timaeus' vinden we bij Boëthius met name in de passage 3m9. Ik poog voor het voetlicht te brengen wat Boëthius met zijn 'Timaeus'-selectie in 'De consolatione philosophiae' aan het doen is. Om die selectie te verklaren, achterhaal ik het Plato-beeld in 'De consolatione philosophiae', beschrijf welke argumenten voor Boëthius belangrijk waren en redeneer, per via negativa, wat Boëthius zou missen in 'De consolatione philosophiae' als hij de 'Timaeus' niet zou gebruiken. Er is veel specialistisch onderzoek naar Boëthius verricht. Zo heeft Qi Wang in 2014 het belang van de basislogica en de wiskunde van Boëthius voor de filosofie onderzocht. Tot dusver heeft echter noch iemand in het algemeen de argumentatieve structuur achter de 'De consolatione philosophiae' onderzocht, noch de reden waarom Boëthius aan Plato’s 'Timaeus' refereert in het bijzonder. Dus, ik hoop een gat in de literatuur te vullen door een uitleg te geven van de argumentatieve rol van de 'Timaeus' in de Consolatio. Ik kom tot de conclusie dat het de combinatie is van, een, de kosmologie van Plato die tegen moreel relativisme en een doelloze kosmos ingaat, twee, de wiskunde van Pythagoras in de kosmologie van de 'Timaeus' waarvoor Boëthius sympathie had, drie, het veronderstelde primaat van de filosofie ten opzichte van de politiek, en vier, de epistemologie en de exegese van het begrip 'schepping' in de 'Timaeus' waarom Boëthius de 'Timaeus' in 'De consolatione philosophiae' aanhaalt.Show less
