Plato, Diagrammatic Reasoning and Mental Models

✍ Scribed by Susanna Saracco

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2023
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 95
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book analyses the role of diagrammatic reasoning in Plato’s philosophy: the readers will realize that Plato, describing the stages of human cognitive development using a diagram, poses a logic problem to stimulate the general reasoning abilities of his readers. Following the examination of mental models in this book, the readers will reflect on what inferences can be useful to approach this kind of logic problem. Plato calls for a collaboration between writer and readers. In this book the readers will examine the connection between diagrams and discovery, realizing the important epistemic role of visualization. They will recognize the crucial role that diagrams play in problem solving. The logic problem elaborated by Plato is addressed considering the epistemic function of mental models. These models introduce to an advanced stage of cognitive development, in which reasoning uses in its investigations a higher-level of mathematical complexity, represented by structuralism.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents
List of Figures
1: Introduction
References
Texts and Translations
Recent Works
2: The Collaboration Between Writer and Reader
2.1 Plato and the Rational Engagement of His Readers
2.2 Rational Engagement and Higher-Order Pedagogy
2.3 Plato’s Higher-Order Pedagogy: My Response
References
Texts and Translations
Recent Works
3: Visual Thinking
3.1 Visual Thinking in the Meno
3.2 Meno’s Slave and Diagrams
References
Text and Translation
Recent Works
4: Diagrammatic Reasoning
4.1 Diagram as Heuristic Device
4.1.1 Diagrams and Problem Solving
4.2 Heterogeneous Reasoning
4.2.1 Hyperproof
References
Text and Translation
Recent Works
5: Mental Models
5.1 Plato’s Forms as Mediators
5.1.1 The Forms and Mental Models
References
Texts and Translations
Recent Works
6: Theoretical Adulthood and Structuralism
6.1 Number Lines and Structures
6.1.1 Structuralism and Plato2
6.1.1.1 Epistemology in Ante Rem Structuralism: The Access Problem
References
Texts and Translations
Recent Works
Index