The Ockham Society (Thursday - Week 5, MT24)

Ockham Society

Abstract: In this paper, I look at one of the more controversial passages in Plato’s Sophist: termed by Lesley Brown the ‘Dunamis Proposal’, at 247d-e the Eleatic Stranger defines being in terms of the capacity to affect and be affected by other things. Insofar as we construe the passage as articulating an ontological framework, or at least the kernel for one, to what extent is it compatible with the strictly two-tier ontology conventionally associated with the ‘middle’ Platonic dialogues, particularly the Phaedo and Republic? First, I consider Vasilis Politis’s case for incompatibility. I then reject this position, arguing that the dunamis proposal is not only in principle compatible with a two-tiered ontology but lends itself to such an ontology, but seems incompatible because it would appear to include perceptible particulars in its upper tier. Drawing upon Plato’s treatment of material-efficient causation in the Phaedo,I show this appearance to be false. Finally, I seek to establish by reference to the refutation of the ‘Late Learners’ at Sophist 252b-c that the standpoint of what I term ‘naïve-Platonism’ ultimately proves untenable, and that the naïve-Platonist is compelled to adopt the dunamis proposal model if they want to maintain their commitment to two-tier ontology.


Ockham Society Convenor: Lucas Janz; Isabel Weir; Rian Coady | Ockham Society Webpage