Plato and The Value of Myths and Parables

 In the following posts, I will take look at religion and Science from another angle, and I will do it exploiting the theme of the old Greek myth of Creation and Theogony. 

Why do I use a myth instead of restricting myself to a purely rational and logical argument? Part of my reason is contained in the following quote from Plato’sRepublic, Book VII

 (where also the famous “cave” story can be found):

And whereas the other so called virtues of the soul seem to be akin to bodily qualities, for even when they are not originally innate they can be implanted later by habit and exercise, the virtue of wisdom more than anything else contains a divine element which always remains, and by this conversion is rendered useful and profitable; or, on the other hand, hurtful and useless. Did you never observe the narrow intelligence flashing from the keen eye of a clever rogue–how eager he is, how clearly his paltry soul sees the way to his end; he is the reverse of blind, but his keen eyesight is forced into the service of evil, and he is mischievous in proportion to his cleverness.

Very true, he said.

But what if there had been a circumcision of such natures in the days of their youth; and they had been severed from those sensual pleasures, such as eating and drinking, which, like leaden weights, were attached to them at their birth, and which drag them down and turn the vision of their souls upon the things that are below --if, I say, they had been released from these impediments and turned in the opposite direction, the very same faculty in them would have seen the truth as keenly as they see what their eyes are turned to now.

Plato through the mouth of his teacher, is telling us that while we all have the necessary faculties for seeing the world, we are not always using them at their full strength – because some of our habits have been instilled deeply in us, without our permission, by our upbringing and education. The same theme shows up, though not as directly as in Plato, in the following excerpts from the New Testament:

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Therefore speak me to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. (Mat 13:10 -13)

When we are listening to parables, our automatic censoring mechanisms are circumvented, imagination is turned on, our minds are more open to reception, our inborn faculties of perceiving what is new with a fresh mind are enhanced. We all know the symptoms of allergy: sometimes we get badly sick for no good reason at all, like from innocent pollen in the air. Our natural immune system is not always working for us in a rational way. So, working through myth may have the same function as an antihistaminic drug – sometimes we really need it.

P.S.1. Tickle Tickle

P.S.2. 16-03-23 8:40 So, the paper on Generalized Uncertainty Relation that I am reviewing is supposed to be a PhD dissertation of the younger author. I am now having a conversation with the supervisor - the first author of the paper. Trying to understand the math!

Category Theory rulez? No. Gravity rulez.

To understand it I had to consult first "Uncertainty Relation in Quantum Mechanics with Quantum Group Symmetry" and "Quantum Field Theory with Nonzero Minimal Uncertainties" by Achim Kempf.

I also have learned that the New Year is coming soon (March 20) in Iran!

P.S.3. 16-03-23 9:19 What do you call a constructivist who's recently accepted the Axiom of Choice?

A Zorn again mathematician.

P.S.4. 18:09 I need to understand spheres!

Coming next: Cronus and Uranus