Eratosphere Forums - Metrical Poetry, Free Verse, Fiction, Art, Critique, Discussions Able Muse - a review of poetry, prose and art

Forum Left Top

Notices

 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Prev Previous Post   Next Post Next
  #11  
Unread 08-14-2003, 06:32 PM
Joseph Bottum Joseph Bottum is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Hot Springs, South Dakota
Posts: 533
Post

Quote:
Originally posted by H Roland Angus R:
If closeness to the esse of the apple was the main criterion for value, I wouldn't read a poem at all. I'd eat an apple.
Dear Harry,

A wise and sharp point. One starts using medieval philosophical terms like "esse" for precision and ends up using them for pretension.

But there is a distinction here that needs some vocabulary or another to maintain. The early medieval neoplatonists used "esse" to suggest simply what the word in Latin obviously means: the "to be" of something, its most real being. This is the sense, as I understand it, of the word in Boethius, for example.

But the later medieval Aristotelians would use the word in a more specialized sense to mean "existence," as opposed to "essence" (as in the title of St. Thomas's breakthrough book, "De Esse et Essentia").

Having been speaking of Platonism, I intended "esse" in its looser sense as "really real" being, however one wants to take that. But if we have to draw the finer distinction, then I imagine it would look like this:

If you want to grasp the existence of an apple, go to an apple tree.

If you want to grasp the essence of an apple, go to a poet.

--or so, at least, those who believe that poetry offers deeper and higher insights into reality would say.

JB


[This message has been edited by Joseph Bottum (edited August 14, 2003).]
 

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump



Forum Right Top
Forum Left Bottom Forum Right Bottom
 
Right Left
Member Login
Forgot password?
Forum LeftForum Right


Forum Statistics:
Forum Members: 8,515
Total Threads: 22,701
Total Posts: 279,796
There are 2890 users
currently browsing forums.
Forum LeftForum Right


Forum Sponsor:
Donate & Support Able Muse / Eratosphere
Forum LeftForum Right
Right Right
Right Bottom Left Right Bottom Right

Hosted by ApplauZ Online