Theôria as Cognition in Plato

How Plato appropriated the pilgrim’s theôria into his own philosophy has been the subject of many noble and insightful studies. When Plato took up this concept, he launched an understanding that would have a very long life in classical philosophy: the idea that doing philosophy itself has an essentially contemplative character was now explicitly formulated. But this only leads us to the next question: according to Plato, what is the nature of this contemplation as a form of cognition? How does philosophy, understood as theôria and as a cognitive activity, relate to other forms of cognition—perception, memory, recollection, imagination, and emotion? The essays collected in this book explore the nature of theôria as cognition, while also taking into account the metaphors, dramatic settings, and cultural background that frame Plato’s dialogues, showing it to be not only a “way of life” but also a form of knowledge.

Refik Güremen teaches at Middle East Technical University. His work on ancient philosophy appears in journals like the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Metaphilosophy, Méthexis, and Polis.Mauro Bonazzi is Professor of History of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Bologna. Among his recent publications are: The Sophists (Cambridge University Press, 2020), Platonism. A Concise History from the Early Academy to Late Antiquity (Cambridge University Press, 2023).Elisabetta Cattanei is Full Professor of History of Ancient Philosophy at the Catholic University in Milan. Her publications focus on the relation between mathematics and philosophy especially in Plato, Aristotle, Alexander of Aphrodisias and Proclus.