THE ONE AND THE MANY • PART 3
In the first two reflections we considered how consciousness becomes dispersed amongst the many forms of the world, and how Proclus and Porphyry encourage us to look beyond appearances towards the eternal Ideas that give them life. But how do we consciously cultivate this way of seeing? The Platonic tradition offers one practical answer in the form of dialectic.
Dialectic—Peeling Away the Garment to Reveal Reality
Although we can never completely “net” or capture an Idea, we can employ a certain art that enables us to come ever closer to understanding its essence. Broadly speaking, this art comes under the heading of dialectic.
Dialectic is not a word we commonly encounter today. It is the capacity of Reason to proceed through a series of luminous steps towards truth. At its higher levels it involves intuition, so it is not merely logic, although logic forms part of its lower reaches.
Dialectic is a vital and living process of reasoning—far removed from something merely cerebral or desiccated—which enables us to examine things by following a series of self-evident principles. Different forms of dialectic allow us to lift the veils that conceal truth, bringing us ever closer to the essence of the thing we contemplate.
There are different forms of dialectic. One form is fourfold and remarkably practical. It can be applied to anything. Within this structure, we move from thesis (what we might say a thing is), to antithesis (what we might say it is not) to synthesis where we reach a greater understanding based on a union of the two.
- Division: We deliberately separate an idea from its wider class, or whole, in order to examine it. For example, under the broader heading of Virtue come the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Fortitude, Temperance and Justice. We might choose to begin with Justice, breaking it off from the others.
- Definition: Here we attempt to arrive at a provisional definition of Justice, leaving enough space around it to allow our understanding to develop through the next stages.
- Demonstration: This is usually the longest stage, where we thoroughly examine, in this case, Justice. To do this we might look at its causes, consequences, expressions and how it relates to other virtues.
- Analysis: Here the many examples and reflections gathered during Demonstration are gradually related back to Unity, and the root essence—in this case, Justice Itself — is unfolded. This is not analysis in the modern sense of endlessly breaking things down, but rather the gathering together of the many into the One. Through this process we move from a peripheral understanding towards a more integral one, employing intuition alongside reason. (The word ‘analysis’ comes from the root ‘leu’, meaning to cut apart or loosen, but we tend to forget that ‘ana’ means to ‘take back up’.)
Such a process isn’t really a one-off exercise. Rather, it becomes a lifelong discipline. Each time we return to it, we add something further to our understanding.
Returning the Many to the One
From this account of dialectic we can see that Porphyry and Proclus are right to warn us against confusing universal Ideas with their many manifestations in the world. If we colour an eternal Idea with a particular time, place or circumstance, we risk losing sight of its universality.
Yet dialectic requires us to explore an Idea’s many manifestations, relationships and effects. The Many, therefore, is not something to be rejected, but something to be traversed and understood. We must enter into multiplicity if we are to understand the richness of the ways in which an Idea is manifested.
The paradox disappears when we remember that Demonstration is only one stage of the journey. We are not meant to remain there. The many are ultimately gathered back together in Analysis, where diversity is resolved—not abolished—in Unity.
Perhaps this is one of the enduring lessons of the One and the Many. We are called neither to lose ourselves in endless multiplicity, rejecting the richness of diversity, nor to collapse ourselves into a false unity which flattens the richness of the many. Rather, we are invited to honour both: to allow the many forms of life to lead us, ultimately, back to the One from which they spring. We can rest in this Unity and survey the diversity of the world in peace.
It seems appropriate to end with the words of Socrates: ‘…we ought to suppose and to search for some one idea in everything around us…’
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An Invitation to Join Our Phaedo Reading Group
If these three reflections have stirred any thoughts or questions, we would be delighted to hear from you.
If you would like to explore these themes more deeply, we warmly invite you to join our online reading group as we read and discuss Plato’s Phaedo together.
In this extraordinary dialogue, we accompany Socrates during the final hours before his death as he prepares to leave this world and enter the company of the gods.
Primarily concerned with the immortality of the soul, the Phaedo is also one of Plato’s most profound explorations of the Theory of Forms, or Ideas. Socrates begins with something as ordinary as two sticks that appear roughly equal and, from this simple observation, leads us to the remarkable insight that we possess within ourselves the Idea of Equality. From there, he explores the relationship between body and soul, showing how the soul has an affinity with the eternal Forms or Ideas and therefore belongs to the realm of unchanging reality.
It is an immensely moving account of one soul preparing to make the great transition from this life to the next. At the same time, it speaks to each of us, reminding us of our own unique destiny and purpose, and of the possibility of cultivating a state of profound equanimity and inner joy. From that higher perspective, we may discover how to live lives of greater wisdom, fulfilment and quiet happiness.
Whether you are already familiar with Plato or approaching him for the first time, you will be most welcome.
If you would like to join our reading group, please register your interest in the Phaedo group.
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Read the Series |The One and the Many: Returning the Many to the One
Part 1: How We Can Enjoy the Trees Without Losing Sight of the Wood
Exploring how sensory multiplicity fragments consciousness and how we lose unity.
Part 2: Looking Beyond Appearances
Drawing on Proclus and Porphyry, this post invites us to appreciate the world’s beauty without losing touch with the unifying truths of Goodness, Truth, and Beauty itself.
Part 3: Gathering the Many Back to the One.
Practicing dialectic—plus an invitation to our online reading group on Plato’s Phaedo.
