iman shafibeik
Abstract
This article is an attempt to explain the relation of language to knowledge according to Plato’s Cratylus. In this dialogue, Plato examines and then refuses the two views concerning the correctness of words: conventionalism (denoting that correctness of each word is by convention) and naturalism ...
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This article is an attempt to explain the relation of language to knowledge according to Plato’s Cratylus. In this dialogue, Plato examines and then refuses the two views concerning the correctness of words: conventionalism (denoting that correctness of each word is by convention) and naturalism (denoting that each word reveals the nature of the thing named by it). Moreover, he offers a series of etymologies seemingly to show that we should not rely on analyzing the words in search of truth. Finally, he concludes that we should learn the truth independently of words. This negative conclusion, specially due to its brevity in comparison with the whole dialogue, gives rise to different interpretations in the light of Plato’s other works. The result of this research is that, according to Cratylus, any method connected to language falls short in providing pure knowledge.
