Plato and the Ideas Against Theatetus and the Mathematical Approach in the Search of Knowledge (In Bulgarian)

Abstract

In the present paper, we propose a novel thesis for the role of mathematics in the dialogue Thaetetus by Plato, and for the reason he chose young Thaetetus as the main opponent in it. Plato attack the inapplicability of the main method of mathematics to search for knowledge by using it against itself in order to demonstrate its insufficiency to answer to main philosophical questions. Plato sees his theory of forms as opposite to the method of reduction, used by mathematicians in his days. The reasons for this insufficiency lies in the indivisibility of ideas. For our thesis the discussion on the mathematical example per se is not deciding; it is sufficient to show that it is related to the nature of the recursive mathematical procedure.

Keywords

• plato
• thaetetus
• mathematics
• knowledge
• recursion
• analysis