Plato's Sophist (Studies in Continental Thought)

c~U5<S; 1M..... d lhem are suppoil'd to lu,·~ been disco,'cr«! by the anc"-'1115, and ~ fourlb" lhe pttIpt"l" one. is lhen estot>hshed b" h'm. FiNllr. in LN gt'IltlTffiofo:!S inlt) the GWl1tia. "'hich a", theln5eh'l"! qui'" parlicuLor 6lll(l.l wilhin tIw tOOtl 6\'1:1l. And lh.>1 is !he reason 6911\, ClInov, 'u,,1 oro'leiO\' a", OCI:""i"""ny id,""kal in """ning for AnslOll", but only in a fonn;sl Sl'fISO!: laket1 strictly, they a", t.lo.....J fo' parlieular reams 01 Bring, This conflttl"'lion "'ilh the ancil'11l! is, in all Ih"", wa)'5 Aristotle carries il {JUI, dilft:renl from the Platonic one, ~ince Aristotle already had a uni"OCll, ",,'rn jf nOI ,odical1y concrh'l'd, basis for lhe onlOlogkal mode of questioning. "CCluil'\'d O.00:; is,lor Cn. ·k onlological """'arch, the ,,'ar of;1otti'iS 10 lhe Sringofbt'lngs. Thisdoes not mean. oowc-'er, thai Gn.""" ontology is depmdl'nt On "logic";' "''' would first ha".. lo""k "'hal logic for th.. Greeks. and ""~ mal' no! impure to Ihmt n>O\k'm cCln6a, lSl'l1£lo6uL Ptl'l1r/i"",'IOr. r! P""a'~ pfl'Mlurr. ,*"",;"" j"/tl 1M Otl'oI:>girtll

50fdr oJ an "mphatic ~nse lor them, .nd the). expl.1iOL'd beings out of beings. This is tilt: ~ of 1I,,~ir "t..mng stonO'S"; i.l'., they mon'll ....iwly in Ike dimC1\5ion of beings and dod rool.: aU mil!. into tke dimem;ion 0/ the Bring of bein~ t.) 0 j.lb, .hoe one. says: ,pia m /I"m /242 iU>I.I frun,m",,!> .. nUl .... hully u"... ,i"",.." ~t I""", ...·1 ....'"
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;~~,~§:l:-l{~'~~J i~!~i~ ;".. W'O""Il~'-'I;I""'-'~ ;f' ~;r -euch Ihe qUlSl"lln f fleing, I ....id f .... l",dili"",,1 int"'Pl'I'1alik d;,,/ogJJt, Tmay " ... ,,~t.- an "".""..hl.. ,...."m ttl met.• ""¥",;,,, anti <w'ltnlnm' R". lhe '1ue;linn !'laIn "'ises here and poM'S by me.ms of I~ woole di.>loguc has. in all hasl~. bftn forgolll'n. This for~ing of lhe ",.. in quesli(>u is"oUy for US toda)'. For we (;In "pJ'f'a" cilher e>rplicill)' Or silmll)', tel two things: 1.) The ~ of IIdng i5 obvious e>'eryon,- U5o!S 'I roostanllr and undE1'Wlnds ..hal I\e means b~' il 2.) The cr>l:epl 01 fleing Is I~ higtw.",t: therefore il cannl" al all bdefinN, As 10 Ihe first we must ",,,,,uk IMI 'f'.'f'lS ""'~' be f"l'i"d und.... lhe rules that d"'~rml"e ~ dl.'flnilion. "'hich il!;(:11 Presl.'Ots onl,. or\(' fonn of delennitU>lion.. Ilw .....' origj""~ng in a C('rf~ln propos.itonal and a ~ 1 "logX.u The "log;"" of lhe determirolion of bt>ings ""'y!>01 ~ ;n,'O;.oo ;t5 tho!- cnlerion fo< lhe ",plication of Ilcing. Tl>erd'on! Ihe us"aJ lalk ~bc>u. lhe indefinabilily (l( IlI.'mg m~...ns IlOlhing. It merely man'fests lhe common rnisund"rsllmding 01 "'hat is ~I issu" \V'tth reg;>rd tel tho primal)' t.l$l< of any possible ClOloIg)', II mUSI be said f'O'iti"dy thaI il resides f>""Ciloslo the JX-Ible """,oing in any roncn>Ie

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Il\;l\"e "head) lo cnlkally ex.lmin('S tnQI';.' pteci!lel}' the ,wo o,h... posihons, he gi,",'S ~ preview of the Oppon$fXd. and can. as il "'~. be assaulted and IOtlched. genuinely is. W" could SIlyquile'briefly rn, this posi,ion wha' is is wM'.nROUnC.. ..""",,,n'~n.'is n-sis.. ~ is not. l1\,l, is how we are 10 und""''''nd this posi'ion. If we call U - f"'OPle ma ...·rialis!S thai could mean t~y.", like Vog'.' M~hott.' and Buchner.' That, ho"·,'nr. has ",o'hing 10 do wilt> it

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