1985-08-23 NSFRI - Plato - Cratylus - 392c-396c - Name, Nature & Function – the Qualities of Zeus
Channel: Pierre Grimes and the Noetic Society
Date: 06/03/2018

1985-08-23 NSFRI - Plato - Cratylus - 392c-396c - Name, Nature & Function – the Qualities of Zeus
Dialogue(s): cratylus Sections: 392c-396c Working from which text/translation: Loeb - H.N Fowler (Primary), Jowett (Secondary) 393a (Pierre quotes ~7mins)As to the correctness of names, what's the clue, how does he get it? 393b ~14:22 – Whats the clue? Several ways of understanding the root(s) of the word. Likely to be a list of things that he mentions about Hector. Why the two names, what's the reason for choosing these two? Goes to the heart of everything he played with 'midwifery'. Always comes down to one word, understanding something – function. Function – that's the proper way to name. Don't go by the title, don't go by the names, go by function; Function determines name (Reads about saving city walls etc. ~392e) ~19-20mins. Out of the list of all of these, he picks out his major function(s). Whats the reason(ing) concerning Hector? If he is a lord, therefore, he must function in a certain way. ~30:42 – 394d – Function and force? How are they used in these sections? Discussion concerning naming and function, and to reveal or bring out its latent quality. The force of the name is how it functions. ~39mins - One of the group members raises a question: “I thought that earlier we said Essence was function? Then how are we using force?” The point that he is making that in order to bring out the particular quality of the letter B, you have a wide range of choices, want to bring out that particular quality, make its force plain, its qualities plain, he makes a word up that does that - as a result of that, it bring out that quality - the force functions to bring out that quality. The name adds a force – that force makes the latent quality of the letter B plain, the name adds a force, makes whatever lies in B plain – what is that but a way of showing how a name is functioning, what is it that he is doing in that section? It adds a force, it is a force, and it brings out, makes plain – standing back, that is a function. So long as we imbue the letter in question and make its force plain, then the name functions to bring that about. ~45 mins - Bottom of 394d - There's function again! A critical look at names and their functions. ~50mins – Pierre remarks - Whats the proof in the case of Agamemnon – ENDURANCE, its what he did, he is /was functioning in that way. 395e - Pierre comments – see what he is doing; disguising, but to say its disguising means what, implies you already know what it really is, and in some cases, its disguised. ~55 mins – 396b - Pierre – real curious isn't it? Picked a name, two words, functions like a sentence - this is a compact sentence, when you pull it apart, and when you put them together you always end up with this: Zeus – Zena & Dia. The two in combination do what? They explain it's function, they express the nature of the God. ~59 min – See, what we can get out of this section is Plato’s and Socrates' view of mythology, Plotinus also. If Zeus was the son of something, what was he the son of? The purity and unblemished nature of his mind. Therefore it might seem at first highly irreverent to call him the son of Cronus, and reasonable to say he is the offspring of some great intellect - and so he is, but, what kind of intellect? One that is pure and having an unblemished nature. He is the offspring of the intellect (of some great intellect) for Cronus signifies not child but the purity and unblemished nature of his mind. 396c (~1:03:00) How to put together Uranus, Cronus (son of Uranus) and Zeus? They are 3 generations - this is pure (Uranus), this is pure (Cronus), so he (Zeus) is in a lineage of pure mind. Looking at pure mind – what does that do? He acquires pure mind. So, a pure mind, pure minds, overflowed, producing / bringing a pure and unblemished Nous. In the Jowett he has the word “philosophers”. Reasonable to say that Zeus is the offspring of some great 'Dianoia'? Great intellectual understanding. Having a pure unblemished mind (Nous) the word we've been playing with the entire time, is nature. We've been saying that is 'function', hence it is a pure unblemished 'function'. It functions with a pure unblemished mind. (1:09:00) So we can say - bringing a pure unblemished function of the nous, or mind. Which in turn overflows, and brings into existence, the author of life, the ruler and king of all. How's he doing it, he's playing on the one term, functioning, right from the beginning. Thus the God is correctly named Zeus, to whom all living beings, all living being has the gift of life - that's to say all being has the gift of life. This is the level of participation, of all being, so that which in turn overflows in such a way that all beings now have light/life and under the rulership of the king of all. Now, the way were a playing with it, the whole case rests upon the use of the word nature as function. Therefore, time to get a cup of coffee! [Thanks to BillD for videotaping,