Universe of Platonic Thought 2024

32nd International Conference “The Universe of Platonic Thought: Plato’s Heritage in the History of Science and Education”

Daniil Dorofeev, DSc in Philosophy, Professor; St Petersburg Mining University (Saint Petersburg, Russia), Head of the Department of Philosophy, Professor

Educational significance of Plato's image.*

The report is devoted to revealing the relevance of the educational significance of the image of Plato in our days. The aesthetic, philosophical, educational significance of the image is explored in detail. In the Russian language, following German, the image is etymologically directly related to education. The perception of Plato's image is considered as an important component of the educational process, understood as the (self) formation of the human image. At the beginning, the main meanings of the concept “image” are formulated and briefly characterized; There are eight of them, such as sensory-perceptible form, appearance, representation, the result of artistic creativity, etc. All of them must be kept in mind in order to understand and take into account in further research the polysemy of this complex term in order to begin to unravel and understand the mystery of Plato’s image in culture , science, education. By turning to history and modernity, the report primarily identifies different ways in which the image of Plato participates in education. The plastic image of the philosopher’s appearance in classical ancient sculpture (so important for education) is complemented by the image that develops on the basis of his philosophical dialogues, lifestyle, biography, etc. It is important that the image of Plato in all its versatility (reflecting the versatility of the very concept of image) continues to be relevant and indispensable in the modern world and education, uniting the aesthetic, philosophical, general cultural and attracting to itself.

Keywords: Plato, image, education, relevance of the classics, polysemy, perception of Plato in culture

Image is a polysemantic concept, with heterogeneous semantic connotations, therefore, in order to avoid dangerous uncertainty, it would be appropriate to highlight the main meanings of this term. So, the image appears as 1) any sensually perceived, visual form of phenomenon par excellence (this meaning is already expressed in the ancient Greek words “idea” and “eidos”); 2) the result of artistic creativity in art, in which the artist’s generalized understanding and vision of what he depicts (man, city, nature, etc.) finds its concrete expression; 3) appearance, appearance, appearance, the sensually perceived appearance of a person at a particular moment; 4) a holistic, value-based and aesthetically oriented understanding of a person that is not limited only to appearance (but includes it); 5) a visual representation of something or someone, the result of imaginative activity aimed at the creative creation of a certain sensory reality, an imprint, reproduction or reflection in the consciousness of phenomena, objects and events of the external world; 6) order, direction, special nature of the implementation of something (for example, way of life; way of thinking; way of action); 7) different from essence and real being, even to the point of opposition to it, a sensual expression of existence 8) the icon as a whole, the iconographic image of the transfigured a person's face in particular.

All these meanings are important to take into account in one way or another when turning to understanding the educational significance of Plato’s image. These meanings highlight several key strategies for understanding this term, involved at different times in different philosophers and in different philosophical directions: 1) image as an embodiment or reflection (including involuntary) of the true reality of existence; 2) image as a result of active subjective human activity; 3) the image as a secondary, in relation to the real, form of reality. It is important for us to explore how the image of Plato was and can now be involved in the educational process, understood primarily as the (self) formation of a new image of a person. Plato not only forms, but also educates. Let us briefly characterize these possibilities of Plato's image.

The plastic image of Plato, presented in numerous Roman copies (primarily from the iconographic example of Silanion), is an example of a classical work of art, capable in our time of educating a person with the beauty, measure, harmony of its form and the meaning expressed in it. “Beauty is a sensory manifestation of truth,” so art can be a path to knowledge and truth. Further, the image of Plato is the image of a great philosopher, therefore, turning to his philosophy, at least at the primary level, can open up new semantic horizons, problems, attitudes - all this can inspire active self-development. Therefore, this image is formed not only by his plastic appearance and biographical life, but also by his immortal dialogues. The external image, the way of life, the way of thinking are all inseparably connected here. If the majestic image of Socrates, especially in his attitude towards death, is created by his student Plato, then the personal image of Plato himself is created primarily by himself.

In this sense, it is important to visualize philosophical terms and teachings as much as possible in the educational process, without simplifying and profaning them, in order to activate the productive potential of both imagination and thinking, which are in many ways inseparably linked. Plato is not just an illustration in a lecture presentation, his image and his philosophy form a single whole, and one can help to understand the other. And, of course, it is very important to overcome the still existing idea of the image of a classical philosopher (or artist) as divorced from the realities of the modern world, as having only archival, historical and bibliographic value. Just as it is unproductive to contrast a phenomenal image with a noumenal essence, being able to reveal their deep relationship (the manifestation of one in the other) when they differ, so the image of Plato cannot be isolated in ancient Athens - while we read it with interest, he is alive and present with us, his relevance needs to be revealed here and now, showing the relationship between Antiquity and modernity.The image of Plato, which everyone can have their own, reveals in different perspectives the Prototype of Plato, the mystery of which can be endlessly unraveled and understood. Of course, there is no need to make an icon out of Plato. But here we again return to the aesthetic image of our philosopher, who can help not only the formation of taste, but also turn his life to the work of understanding, without a creative and constant habit of which any education will, by and large, be very relative, and existence will be limited.

* The research is funded by Russian Science Foundation № 23-28-00687, «Images of ancient thinkers in Russia in the context of the European Enlightenment: the reception of images, their presentation and educational value in the Mining Museum and other Russian museums», https://rscf.ru/project/23-28-00687.