them about themselves and the world around them, posing apparent contradictions in their response through the form of another question (the basis of the Socratic method of teaching and learning). Thus if Socrates would come upon a pot, he would probably have approached it as he approached any other thing, whether man or beast or tree. Knowing only that he knew little, he most likely would not know whether the thing was a subject in-and-of-itself or an object dependent upon some subject. It would, in other words, have been a humble approach, because before rendering judgment Socrates would have had to “see” the pot for what “it” was: he would probably ask what the pot “is” (a query later formalized into epistemology – the study of how we “know” what we know) and he would probably ask how the object came to “be” (a query later formalized into ontology).
This would be a seemingly innocuous activity on its face; but as we know it was not. The questions posed by Socrates oftentimes led to unintended results, consequences of which challenged not only conventional thinking but people who in powerful positions were assumed to “know” things. Thus it was that the State eventually came to see his attempt at finding “objective” truth to be a problem. The State charged Socrates with inciting the youth and sentenced him to die. Ironically, recognizing that he had done nothing wrong
but also wishing not to challenge the State of which he regarded himself to be a true member, Socrates took his own life by drinking hemlock. The result would forever change the world.
Why? Because Plato soon realized the philosopher, he, himself, was in a precarious position. If the State was willing to kill the one full human being capable of acting as a truly moral character, then neither he nor any other philosopher, nor any other human being for that matter, was safe from kings. As such, he felt it necessary to design a philosophy and social structure to save such a man. The result was nothing less than The Republic, the “second” Apology of Socrates, a book that set forth the argument for the philosopher-king. Even if one
Antica Bottega Pascucci
Antica Bottega Passcucci is the retail presence for Pascucci, a seventh-generation family-owned workshop producing fine linens and xylographic prints since 1826.
Hand-carved blocks made of pear tree wood become the matrices for the creation of printed textiles. The color used for printing was initially obtained from rust, but the color palette has since been expanded to blue and greens.
Originally, designs were taken from embroidery academy collections and made more affordable for lcoal populations. But across the years, have come to include geometrical figures, flowers or animals belongings to the rich heritage of folk icons.
Antica Bottega Pascucci
Via Verdi, 18
47035 Gambettola (Forli) Italy
0039.0547.53056
www.pascucci1826.it
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