Opinião verdadeira e opinião pública no "Mênon" de Platão. / True opinion and public opinion in Plato s Meno.

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2003

RESUMO

The central theme which has been put into focus by this reading of Meno is the relation between dóxa alethés and public opinion. The teaching of virtue, the public context, the mathematics and the epistéme applied to politics offer themselves as secondary themes. The question emerges from the initial question of the dialog about how virtue can be acquired. Meno longed for the virtue as it was conceived within its medium: glory, fame, good reputation and, therefore, power; he desired, in other words, the political virtue. The disturbed political process of the polis towards democracy makes clear - together with virtue as fame – the importance of the dynamism of public opinion in the struggle between factions and within the acknowledgment of political virtue. Plato acknowledges these conditions amongst practical politics. According to Timaeus, the only possible knowledge of the world of solids is the opinionated knowledge. The political practice develops itself within the world of solids, and is therefore guided by opinion. However, there are true opinions and opinions which take us to aporia and which are, moreover, quite fleeting – because their object are the solids, which found themselves within the world of becoming. Timaeus also teaches us that the demiurge has always true opinions about the world he has arranged - because he looks at that which never changes, i. e., he holds the epistéme of that which always is. The king-philosopher of the Republic is, so to say, the city’s demiurge; he always has true opinions about the management of the polis - because he holds the epistéme. Nevertheless, Plato acknowledges in the Republic that the truth granted by the philosopher cannot accomplish itself without the consent of public opinion. Frequently, the public opinion leads to aporia but, on the other hand, is not impossible to it to succeed. It is possible to coordinate truth and politics. Without philosophical science, we can only rely on the divine protection, which happens to be fortuitous. Socrates has put forth that his interlocutor should try to learn what virtue in itself is. Due to Meno s aporia, Socrates has taught the way to science through the theory of reminiscence, which sets off precisely from the recognition of the aporia. Meno, however, was not willing to search the philosophical epistéme. The last argument of the dialog ends up saying that virtue is the true opinion – which is granted by a favor of gods. It happens to be a second road - much more appropriated to Meno – in order to keep politics and truth well-connected. Before signing off, Socrates tells Meno that the search must be considered from the start.

ASSUNTO(S)

platão plato teoria política grega mênon opinião verdadeira public opinion meno true opinion opinião pública greek political theory

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