Plato and the Meaning of Pain

Evans, Matthew

doi:10.1515/apeiron.2007.40.1.71

Cited by 13 publications

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“…Let us focus on the idea of copying and look at a simple model of cultural transmission -the Copying Model [30,32,31,36,37]. Suppose we have a fixed population of E individuals, each of whom can choose one N 'artifacts'.…”

Section: A Simple Model Of Cultural Transmissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Randomness and Complexity in Networks

Evans

2007

Preprint

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I start by reviewing some basic properties of random graphs. I then consider the role of random walks in complex networks and show how they may be used to explain why so many long tailed distributions are found in real data sets. The key idea is that in many cases the process involves copying of properties of near neighbours in the network and this is a type of short random walk which in turn produce a natural preferential attachment mechanism. Applying this to networks of fixed size I show that copying and innovation are processes with special mathematical properties which include the ability to solve a simple model exactly for any parameter values and at any time. I finish by looking at variations of this basic model.

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Section: A Simple Model Of Cultural Transmissionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Randomness and Complexity in Networks

Evans

2007

Preprint

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“…It is not the right place to provide a detailed exposition of Plato's understanding of pain (cf. Evans 2007;Wolfsdorf 2015), nor his use of pain vocabulary. Two remarks are enough.…”

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“…3.7; De motu an.7 etc., for discussions thereof, see Corcilius (2008) 67-102;Aubry (2009); Salim (2012); Cheng (2015) 334-380. 65 For Plato's understanding of pain, see Evans (2007) and Wolfsdorf (2015). For a comparison of Aristotle's conception of pain with that of Plato's, see Cheng (2015) 364-371. of painwhich might play a significant role for medical treatmentcan be rarely found in his works.…”

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Aristotle’s Vocabulary of Pain

Cheng

2018

Philologus

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This paper examines Aristotle’s vocabulary of pain, that is the differences and relations of the concepts of pain expressed by (near-)synonyms in the same semantic field. It investigates what is particularly Aristotelian in the selection of the pain-words in comparison with earlier authors and specifies the special semantic scope of each word-cluster. The result not only aims to pin down the exact way these terms converge with and diverge from each other, but also serves as a basis for further understanding Aristotle’s philosophical conception of pain.

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“…(Of course, this analogy is limited because any inferior pleasure is an image of pure pleasure, whereas not all inferior paintings are copies of great ones. )24 Even in such a comprehensive work as Gosling and Taylor 1982, and despite their extended discussion of Plato's view on impure pleasures (i.e., pleasures that are mixed with pain), no account of pain itself can be found Evans (2007). offers a detailed examination of pain in the Philebus, but focuses on a different aspect of pain than what I discuss below.25 See, especially, Frede 1993: xlii, where she writes "[pain and pleasure] are rather identified with processes of dissolution and restoration."…”

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Plato on the Psychology of Pleasure and Pain

Erginel¹

2011

Phoenix

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The thesis that the just man is happier than the unjust is, arguably, the most important thesis to Plato's project in the Republic. This overarching thesis first emerges in the context of Glaucon's challenge in Book 2, but it is not until much later in the Republic that Plato completes his argument for it: after much preparatory work (including the grand metaphysics of the central books) Plato offers three proofs of this thesis in Book 9. The second and third of these aim to make the case by showing that the philosopher's life is more pleasant than all the competing lives-those of honor-lovers, oligarchs, democrats, and tyrants. 1 The third proof, however, stands out: it is where Plato presents his account of pleasure and pain-his most comprehensive account until the Philebus. More importantly, Plato deems this proof the "greatest and most decisive" argument for the thesis in question (583b6-7). The merits of this particular proof, therefore, are of utmost importance for our evaluation of Plato's contention that the just man is happiest. Given the significance of this view for the Republic, our evaluation of this dialogue itself should be greatly informed by the soundness or otherwise of this proof.The received view about this proof, however, has been not only negative but dismissive as well: the account of pleasure on which it is based has been treated as an ill-conceived and deeply flawed account that Plato thankfully retracted and replaced in the Philebus. 2 I am convinced, however, that this received view of the Republic's account is false. In this paper, I will not concern myself with whether, or in what way, Plato's account of pleasure in the Republic falls short of what we find in the Philebus, but will rather focus on the merits of the former. MyThe reading offered in this paper is based on a chapter of my PhD dissertation. For helpful comments on my interpretation at the early stages of its evolution, I am thankful to Jim Hankinson,

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Plato and the Meaning of Pain

Cited by 13 publications

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Randomness and Complexity in Networks

Randomness and Complexity in Networks

Aristotle’s Vocabulary of Pain

Plato on the Psychology of Pleasure and Pain

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