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Plato on the Nature of the Sudden Moment, and the Asymmetry of the Second Part of the Parmenides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2014

SPYRIDON RANGOS*
Affiliation:
University of Patras

Abstract

In this paper, Plato’s notion of the sudden moment is fully explored. In the Parmenides, the “now” (nun) and the “sudden” (exaiphnês), it is argued, refer to one and the same entity from the distinct perspectives of timeless Being and temporal Becoming, respectively. This interpretation tallies well with, and enriches, the Platonic views on time and eternity found in the Timaeus. Finally, the paper highlights the pivotal role of the third deduction, where the sudden moment appears, for an understanding of the entire dialectical exercise of the Parmenides.

Cet article étudie la notion platonicienne d’instant. Je soutiens que dans le Parménide, «maintenant» (nun) et «soudain» (exaiphnês) renvoient à la même entité, envisagée à partir des perspectives distinctes de l’Être éternel et du Devenir temporel. Cette interprétation complète et éclaire les notions platoniciennes de temps et d’éternité présentées dans le Timée. L’article met enfin en évidence le rôle décisif de la troisième déduction — où apparaît la notion d’instant — dans la compréhension de l’exercice dialectique du Parménide dans son ensemble.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Philosophical Association 2014 

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