Minos had to pay and the god of the ocean threw a truly terrible curse to the Cretan’s house. This was an act of defiance that could not go unpunished. So in his place, Minos offered another bull and kept the one sent by the god. The bull was too beautiful, too strong to be sacrificed. A bull of incomparable beauty made his appearance, but now Minos had second thoughts. To prove it, he prayed to Poseidon for a bull to appear from the sea, promising to return the animal as a sacrifice. The story goes that when Minos was establishing his kingship over Crete, he boasted that the gods favored him. Unlike Socrates, we will not believe in these stories to support an argument, but simply because sometimes that is the best way to get the best out of a myth. Let’s also pretend that the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, the father and son, who flew using wings made of feathers and wax is true. Let’s pretend that he actually created animate statues and built a labyrinth with a minotaur in its center. Just like Socrates, let’s also pretend to believe in the wonders performed by Daedalus. However, for the sake of argument, he pretended to believe in it. He understood that this story was just… a story. Of course, Socrates (and Plato) was not naïve. ![]() Socrates: That if they are not fastened up they play truant and run away but, if fastened, they stay where they are.” Plato, Meno 97d ![]() In fact, as Socrates says, Daedalus’ sculptures had to be tied down, because if left unbound, they ran away. In Plato’s Meno, Socrates refers to the old Greek myth that Daedalus, the legendary inventor and sculptor, could create statues so life-like, that they were self-moving. ![]() Daedalus and Pasiphae, Lemaire-Poussin, 17th century, AKG-Images The Fall of Icarus, Jacob Peter Gowy, after Rubens, Prado, Madrid
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |