چکیده:
J. Humanities (2005) Vol. 12 (3): (141-147)
Farabi Hermeneutical and Dialectical Reading of Meno
and Gorgias
Mostafa Younesie!
Abstract
In the context of comparative and intercultural philosophy the approach and engagement of
one philosopher with another, is a very basic issue. With regard to this, I want to narrate
Farabi’s special engagement with the Meno and Gorgias dialogues of Plato. His engagement
can be named hermeneutic dialectical reading-here hermeneutic means the relation of
Farabi with the Meno and Gorgias texts and also inside these two texts there are diverse and
different levels, layers and mediations (though this is also true so far as my self as a
researcher); dialectical means his reading is in the from of synoptic question (s) and answer;
and reading means conversational construction of meaning in relation to the text and
context.
Farabi’s hermeneutic dialectical reading of the Meno and Grgias has these
characteristics: he propounds these two dialogues thematically or in accordance whit their
subject matter as two parts or orders in the whole of the Plato philosophy. Therefore for
understanding these dialogues we have to put them in a broader context that heve
interconnections whit the whole philosophy. Basides, the Gorgias is connected with or exists
in a set of dialogues that collectively make a network that too has logical relation with the
Meno. He says that plato philosophy as a whole begins with a search about human perfection
as the first order that is discussed in Alcibiades 1 and then for getting this perfection we need
knowledge that Theaetetus dialogue discusses thematically as the second order. After
searching about eudaimonia in the Philebus and knowledge of eudaimonia in Protagoras
respectively, Plato further searches about the possibility and the quality and how-ness of
getting this special knowledge in the Meno. Farabi says that in the Meno (means fixing)
dialogue as the fifth order or level of Plato philosophy he searches about this matter i.e.
getting of this knowledge and the method if the answer is positive. Plato in this dialogue says
that this knowledge is possible by means of Sana’t / art /rexvy. Therefore the next step is
searching for these arts that are well-known among citizens of different cities and civilities.
Farabi says that for Plato these arts are six arts according to six dialogues-that begins with theological syllogism art in the Euthyphro and continues by language, poetics, rhetoric sophistics and ends ,by art oFdialectics in the parmenides . According to Farabi Gorgia .(means service) is after Jon dialogue about poetics, before the Sophist that is about sophistics.In this dialogue plato searches two problem, does this art give us knowledge or only the method, and how much this art is knowledge?
خلاصه ماشینی:
J. Humanities (2005) Vol 12 (3): (141-147) Farabi Hermeneutical and Dialectical Reading of Meno and Gorgias Mostafa Younesie1 Abstract In the context of comparative and intercultural philosophy the approach and engagement of one philosopher with another, is a very basic issue.
context, Farabi's hermeneutic dialectical reading of the Meno and Grgias has these characteristics: he propounds these two dialogues thematically or in accordance whit their subject matter as two parts or orders in the whole of the Plato philosophy.
Farabi says that in the Meno (means fixing) dialogue as the fifth order or level of Plato philosophy he searches about this matter i.
According to Farabi's reading, Plato connects perfection with a special kind of knowledge and mentioning briefly about this knowledge, he 143 Farabi Hermeneutical and Dialectical Reading of ..
After mentioning the form of Farabi's reading of Plato's philosophy I can now turn to the discussion of its content with regard to the related dialogues.
Thus Farabi's reading of Meno is dialectical not in the sense of being dialogical, rather due to the theme of Protagoras dialogue in the context of Plato's philosophy which is in precise question and answers form.
In short, in Farabi's dialectical and hermeneutic reading of Meno dialogue as the fifth/sixth order in the general schema, the concluding point is the demonstration of the possibility of acquiring this specific knowledge that is related to perfection.