Socratic and Cartesian Personae: Undismembering and Liquidation
The essay investigates two personae: Socrates as depicted by Plato and Descartes as narrator of the Discourse on Method and Meditations. Socrates is aware of his ignorance and insists on remembering to care for the self; Descartes claims to have overcome ignorance through a method that breaks proble...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Open Philosophy |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2022-0206 |
| _version_ | 1797998609835229184 |
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| author | Polt Richard |
| author_facet | Polt Richard |
| author_sort | Polt Richard |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The essay investigates two personae: Socrates as depicted by Plato and Descartes as narrator of the Discourse on Method and Meditations. Socrates is aware of his ignorance and insists on remembering to care for the self; Descartes claims to have overcome ignorance through a method that breaks problems into simple and certain elements, establishing a self-certain yet impersonal subject that comprehends and controls objects. The Cartesian approach has led to the modern process of “liquidation” that reduces beings, property, and truth to resources, wealth, and information – initiating the dangerous and unprecedented epoch known as the Anthropocene. The Socratic approach offers some promise of reintegration and resistance to liquidation by urging us to care for wholeness and recognizing that being exceeds what we comprehend. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:51:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c37e4989d7e943ca99b2ec77c7fe47b7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2543-8875 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:51:27Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Philosophy |
| spelling | doaj.art-c37e4989d7e943ca99b2ec77c7fe47b72022-12-22T04:28:55ZengDe GruyterOpen Philosophy2543-88752022-04-015133033910.1515/opphil-2022-0206Socratic and Cartesian Personae: Undismembering and LiquidationPolt Richard0Department of Philosophy, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USAThe essay investigates two personae: Socrates as depicted by Plato and Descartes as narrator of the Discourse on Method and Meditations. Socrates is aware of his ignorance and insists on remembering to care for the self; Descartes claims to have overcome ignorance through a method that breaks problems into simple and certain elements, establishing a self-certain yet impersonal subject that comprehends and controls objects. The Cartesian approach has led to the modern process of “liquidation” that reduces beings, property, and truth to resources, wealth, and information – initiating the dangerous and unprecedented epoch known as the Anthropocene. The Socratic approach offers some promise of reintegration and resistance to liquidation by urging us to care for wholeness and recognizing that being exceeds what we comprehend.https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2022-0206anthropocenecaredescarteserosliquidationmemorysocrateswholeness |
| spellingShingle | Polt Richard Socratic and Cartesian Personae: Undismembering and Liquidation Open Philosophy anthropocene care descartes eros liquidation memory socrates wholeness |
| title | Socratic and Cartesian Personae: Undismembering and Liquidation |
| title_full | Socratic and Cartesian Personae: Undismembering and Liquidation |
| title_fullStr | Socratic and Cartesian Personae: Undismembering and Liquidation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Socratic and Cartesian Personae: Undismembering and Liquidation |
| title_short | Socratic and Cartesian Personae: Undismembering and Liquidation |
| title_sort | socratic and cartesian personae undismembering and liquidation |
| topic | anthropocene care descartes eros liquidation memory socrates wholeness |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2022-0206 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT poltrichard socraticandcartesianpersonaeundismemberingandliquidation |