Comparative analysis of the perfect human in the writings of Plato and Gregory of Nyssa
2017
Makarevics, V., Daugavpils Univ. (Latvia)
For centuries, philosophers have addressed the topic of the ideal human, solving it according to the requests of the time. On the example of the works of Plato and Gregory of Nyssa, we will consider how these views have changed over the millennia since the ancient times and ending with the era of the Byzantine Empire. For Plato the human's way to his ideal depends on the accomplishments and deeds of his ancestors. Life experience of the human himself can only adjust the result of life experiences of previous generations for the better or for the worse; the result of life experience influences the development of the individual representatives of the succeeding generations. Gregory of Nyssa says that the body and the soul are born at the same time. This means that the soul does not bear the imprint of the life experience of previous generations. According to Gregory of Nyssa, each person during his lifetime is able to get closer to the ideal. According to Plato, who lived in the times of polytheism, only the elite strata of society are capable of self-improvement. Gregory of Nyssa who lived in a monotheistic state believed that anyone can achieve the ideal. The content analysis of the authors’ texts as well as of the texts of the researchers of Plato’s and Gregory’s of Nyssa creative work have been used in the research. It is noted that a person in Gregory’s of Nyssa works possesses larger subjectivity than in Plato’s works.
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