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UID:30@prometheustrust.co.uk
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250317T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250317T200000
DTSTAMP:20250306T152136Z
URL:https://prometheustrust.co.uk/events/the-whole-chain-of-ideas-open-ses
 sion-in-london/
SUMMARY:The Whole Chain of Ideas - open session in London
DESCRIPTION:For many who have read something of Plato\, there is a fairly s
 imple scheme held to be “Plato’s theory of forms” which consists of 
 two distinct orders of things – there is an powerful and active order of
  forms (or ideas)\, and then there is an order of material instantiations\
 , or material things stamped with impressions of those forms. The first is
  active\, the second passive\; the first is the object of intellect and re
 ason\, the second is the object of sense and opinion. This is a useful but
  limited starting point. But this understanding presents the thinker with 
 a number of difficult problems – all of which gather as one major questi
 on: how do the two very different orders interact. In their raw form\, so 
 to speak\, they are alienated from each other and\, like the worst kind of
  co-habitants\, not really on speaking terms!\n\nWe need a much more refin
 ed understanding of how the manifested and material world proceeds from\, 
 and returns to\, the unmanifested and immaterial order. According to the b
 est of Platonic thinkers\, both these processes – procession and return 
 – work through the law and power of similarity: and since there seems to
  be a very great dissimilarity between the two orders\, we must postulate 
 a series of intermediaries. In this series\, each intermediary must have a
  degree of likeness both to that which is immediately above itself\, and t
 o that which is immediately below.\nProclus\, in his Commentary on the Par
 menides of Plato\, offers the serious student of ideas a scheme in which a
  series of intermediaries carrying out just such a function\, and thus all
 ow a fruitful communication between the otherwise separated orders of real
 ity. We will look at this passage and consider whether it holds together a
 s a viable scheme\, and how it enlarges our understanding of reality at it
 s various levels.\n\nWe will be using this paper as a starting point for o
 ur explorations: The Whole Chain of Ideas - an introduction\n\nThese eveni
 ngs include short talks and/or readings from Platonic writings – but we 
 hope they will be genuinely interactive\, with all participants invited to
  contribute to our collaborative search for truth. No previous experience 
 of formal philosophy is required.\n\nAdmission is free\, but we do encoura
 ge those who are able to donate £5 in order to cover our costs\, either a
 s cash on the day or donating through this website\n\nMost of these evenin
 gs are self-contained and every effort is made to make them accessible to 
 the newcomer\, while allowing the great profundity of the Platonic traditi
 on to step forward and speak to us at whatever level our present understan
 ding sits. Some of these sessions are coupled together\, in order to give
  us the space to examine more fully particular texts and themes\, but even
  here we will ensure that if those attending have missed the first of the
  two sessions a recap of what has gone before will help all participants t
 o pick up the main threads of the theme.\n\nThe Trust has run similar acti
 vities for some 20 years\, and in our experience they allow the most profo
 und questions concerning human life\, the nature of reality\, and our inte
 ractions\, to be explored at once both seriously and with good cheer. Our 
 aim is to provide a forum for honest and straight-forward enquiry\, but wh
 ich is unafraid to explore inward-moving paths too often neglected by mode
 rn schools of thought.\n\nClick on the London tag under Event type to be t
 aken to all upcoming activities in London.
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://prometheustrust.co.uk/wp-content/uploads
 /2025/03/light_leaves.jpg
CATEGORIES:Open session
LOCATION:London - Cecil Sharp House\, 2 Regent's Park Rd \, London\, NW1 7A
 Y\, United Kingdom
GEO:51.538155;-0.149307
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