Le dimensioni dell'immagine. Ricerche sulla teoria iconica in Platone

The recurrence of the theme of images in Plato's dialogues gives the impression that a veritable iconic obsession runs through them. This is because many of Plato's dialogues represent the first attempt in the history of Western philosophy to think systematically about images from a theoretical point of view. As heir to the Eleatic tradition, Plato links the problem of images to the contrast between being and appearance, profoundly marking the fundamental issues of ancient ontology. This thesis investigates both the historical and theoretical dimensions related to the problem of images: especially, the link between identity and otherness, being and non-being, visible and invisible, begetting and begotten. The first part examines the greek terminology used to designate images, intending to assess the most immediate and comprehensible meanings of images in the ancient world. Secondly, the basic ontological problem of images is investigated, namely, the contrast between being and appearance. Thirdly, the issue of the theory of forms is addressed in detail, arguing that it is fundamentally entailed in a radically iconic framework. Ultimately, it is shown how images are profoundly linked to the problem of generative filiation: in this sense, the link between the intelligible world and the sensible world will be tackled head-on by examining the craft and generative accounts of filiation.