Il modello iconico

Plato's philosophy represents the first theoretical reflection in Western history on the status of the iconic, while also serving as a realm where the image becomes a metaphor and a theoretical habitus through which to interpret reality and human practices. This book addresses the issue of images in Plato's dialogues from this dual perspective: What is an image, and what is the status of the iconic for Plato? What is the significance of the iconic metaphor within the context of Platonic metaphysics? On one hand, Plato questions the reality and unreality of images, thereby establishing their association with the domain of the false, illusion, and deception. On the other hand, imagery is used as a persistent metaphor to conceive the relationships between sensible and intelligible realities. In this context, the book argues that it is through a parallel reading of the Sophist and the Timaeus that one can trace in Plato an early explicit reflection on the status of the medium, as well as the notion of paradigm and its normative role related to the poetic-artisanal practice. The book thus explores the presence of these metaphors and their significance not only for the theory of forms and participation but also for Platonic cosmology.