[lit-ideas] The One and the Many in Plotinus and Geary
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2004 18:51:11 EST
Geary wrote to Amago:
>>You are one of the masses.
Erin Holder wrote:
> I seem to recall (maybe it was Parmenides?) making an argument for
>multiplicity as stemming from the unity of this multiplicity in one of the
>dialogues? But I can't remember which one, if I'm remembering at all
>correctly anyway. Can anyone tell me a) if there was such an argument b) if
>it came from Parmenides c) if it's in one of the dialogues?
I think it was indeed the Parmenides. The distinction is between the one
(hoi onos?) and the many (as in 'hoi polloi'). I don't think Parmenides meant
"the many" in the sense of "hoi polloi". Incidentally, there were a couple of
quotes in the OED opposing "the masses" (to use Geary's expression) to "the
classes", but the reason for this opposition being mainly rhymical.
---
It's hard to see what Parmenides (or _Plato's_ Parmenides) may have meant by
unit (unity) and multiplicity and multiplicity as stemming from the unity of
the multiplicity. In general, 'the one' _was_ identified with God, and Erin
is right in connecting this with Plotinus ("Plotinism").
Cheers,
JL
_Encyclopedia - Yahooligans! Reference -_
(http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=37728)
... Theaetetus; the Parmenides, which deals with the relation between the
one and the
many; and the ... See translation of the dialogues by B. Jowett, ed. by DJ
Allan ...
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