English 5361: Week 3 Post – Sophistic or Platonic?
Is it Sophistic or Platonic? Sophist or Platonist? Some other pair of terms? I have to wonder if I am using the correct terminology. When I told my husband I had to decide if I was more Platonic or more Sophistic, he asked Platonic toward whom? Another meaning of the word, I suppose.
The answer to that question is that I do not know. I’m not sure that I can squarely put myself in one camp. I am not a social constructionist, which may make me an outlier in the department. But you will forgive me I hope; I am, after all, a scientist and my brain is wired to seek for the truth or fact underneath something. I will agree that our laws, religions, and moral codes of conduct are socially constructed. In that, I may be more of a Sophist. However, I do believe that thinks like gravity really exist, regardless of what word is used and on that measure, I reject social construction and believe in a higher truth. So, that would make me more Platonic.
I do not currently teach for money, though I have in the past when I taught Microbiology and Introductory Biology labs at The Ohio State University and when I worked in student tutorial services. Since I have taught for money, that lends itself toward Sophistry. While I believe that things can be taught, I also believe that some people have more of an innate talent for certain fields. I will never be a professional athlete or a mathematician, though I seem to have quite a talent for cooking and a hunger for scientific knowledge. In my belief in innate talent, I am more Platonic.
I suppose to sum up, I am both and neither. I cannot say that I have completely Sophistic or completely Platonic views. I hope for the Utopian vision, but doubt that we can even pull ourselves together enough to create the Semantic Web or agree even of what should or shouldn’t be done to those to break our societal mores.
The answer to that question is that I do not know. I’m not sure that I can squarely put myself in one camp. I am not a social constructionist, which may make me an outlier in the department. But you will forgive me I hope; I am, after all, a scientist and my brain is wired to seek for the truth or fact underneath something. I will agree that our laws, religions, and moral codes of conduct are socially constructed. In that, I may be more of a Sophist. However, I do believe that thinks like gravity really exist, regardless of what word is used and on that measure, I reject social construction and believe in a higher truth. So, that would make me more Platonic.
I do not currently teach for money, though I have in the past when I taught Microbiology and Introductory Biology labs at The Ohio State University and when I worked in student tutorial services. Since I have taught for money, that lends itself toward Sophistry. While I believe that things can be taught, I also believe that some people have more of an innate talent for certain fields. I will never be a professional athlete or a mathematician, though I seem to have quite a talent for cooking and a hunger for scientific knowledge. In my belief in innate talent, I am more Platonic.
I suppose to sum up, I am both and neither. I cannot say that I have completely Sophistic or completely Platonic views. I hope for the Utopian vision, but doubt that we can even pull ourselves together enough to create the Semantic Web or agree even of what should or shouldn’t be done to those to break our societal mores.
posted by Jessica Badger at
9:24 PM
4 Comments:
I was also on the fence about which side I would belong with. Your refernce to our laws, religions, and moral codes of conduct being socially constructed has made me wonder if perhaps we have all been persuaded to agree with a particular group by the rhetoric of our politicians which has been influenced by the agenda of one group or possibly even one man. Is this what the world is following now? And how long ago was this agenda set forth?
Enjoyed your thinking here, Jessica. It's okay to believe in a higher Truth, of course. Perhaps it's difficult if not nearly impossible for people to understand that higher truth, of course. Nice thinking about teaching for money, too. Good connection there.
Hi, Jessica...
I completely agree with you. I felt I leaned more to the sophist, and always felt that Plato must have had an independent sourc of income not to depend on payment, like the Sophists ;-)
Looking forward to reading your notes on Aristotle.
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