Information About ™Anamnesis |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT ANAMNESIS | |
| platonism | |
| philosophical terminology | |
| sacraments | |
| greek loanwords | |
|
''Anamnesis'' (, Philosophy , Psychoanalysis , and Religion . PHILOSOPHY Plato uses ''anamnesis'' in the Epistemological theory that he develops in his Dialogue s '' Meno '' and '' Phaedo ''. ''Meno'' In ''Meno'', Plato's character (and old teacher) Socrates is challenged by Meno with what has become known as the sophistic paradox, or the paradox of knowledge: : Meno: And how are you going to search for nature of virtue when you don't know at all what it is, Socrates? Which of all the things you don't know will you set up as target for your search? And even if you actually come across it, how will you know that it ''is'' that thing which you don't know? : (''Meno'' 80d) In other words, if you don't know what the knowledge looks like, you won't recognise it when you see it, and if you ''do'' know what it looks like, then you don't need to look for it. Either way, then, there's no point trying to gain knowledge. Plato's response is to develop his theory of ''anamnesis''. He suggests that the Soul is immortal, being repeatedly Incarnated ; knowledge is actually in the soul from eternity (86b), but each time the soul is incarnated its knowledge is forgotten in the shock of birth. What we think of as learning, then is actually the bringing back of what we'd forgotten. (Once it has been brought back it is true belief, to be turned into genuine knowledge by understanding.) And thus Socrates (and Plato) sees himself, not as a teacher, but as a Midwife , aiding with the birth of knowledge that was already there in the student. ''Phaedo'' In ''Phaedo'', Plato develops his theory of ''anamnesis'', in part by combining it with his theory of Form s. First, he tells us more about how ''anamnesis'' can be achieved; whereas in ''Meno'' we're given nothing but the method of questioning with which Socrates proceeds, in ''Phaedo'' Plato presents us with a way of living our lives so that we can overcome the misleading nature of the body through '' Katharsis '' (Greek: καθαρσις; “cleansing” (from guilt or defilement), “purification”). The body and its senses are the source of error; knowledge can only be regained through the use of our reason, contemplating things with the soul (see 66 b–d). Secondly, he makes clear that genuine knowledge, as opposed to mere true belief, is distinguished by its content. One can only know eternal truths, for they are the only truths that can have been in the soul from eternity. Though it can be very useful to have a true belief about, say, the best way to get from London to Oxford, such a belief can't count as knowledge; how could our souls have known for all eternity a fact about places that have existed for less than 2,000 years? RELIGIOUS USE "Anamnesis" is used in some , Resurrection , and Ascension of Jesus are remembered {Link without Title} . For example, in the Divine Liturgy Of Saint John Chrysostom , the anamnesis begins with the words: :"Remembering, therefore, this command of the Saviour to eat and drink in remembrance of him , and all that came to pass for our sake, the cross, the tomb, the resurrection on the third day, the ascension into heaven, the enthronement at the right hand of the Father, and the second, glorious coming..." [http://www.ocf.org/OrthodoxPage/liturgy/liturgy.html]. This phrase preceeds the Epiklesis , when the Priest asks God to send the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. In some Western Christian traditions, on the other hand, the anamnesis comes after the consecration of the bread and the wine. {Link without Title} ''An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church'' says of the anamnesis: "This memorial prayer of remembrance recalls for the worshiping community past events in their tradition of faith that are formative for their identity and self-understanding" and makes particular mention of its place in "the various eucharistic prayers" {Link without Title} . SOURCES AND REFERENCES
|
|
|