érthein

Érthein is a term used in ancient Greek philosophy, particularly by Plato, to describe the process of recollection or reminiscence. It suggests that learning is not the acquisition of new knowledge, but rather the retrieval of knowledge that the soul already possesses from a previous existence. According to this theory, the soul, prior to its embodiment in a human being, resided in a realm of pure forms or ideas. During this disembodied state, the soul had direct access to perfect knowledge of concepts such as beauty, justice, and truth.

When the soul becomes incarnated, this direct knowledge becomes obscured or forgotten. The process of érthein is then triggered by sensory experiences and reasoning in the physical world. Encounters with imperfect copies of the forms in the material world can serve as prompts, reminding the soul of the perfect forms it once knew. For example, seeing a beautiful object might evoke a sense of beauty that is not fully explained by the object itself, leading the soul to recall the perfect Form of Beauty.

Plato illustrates this concept in his dialogues, such as the Meno, where Socrates questions an uneducated slave boy, who, through careful questioning, appears to demonstrate knowledge of geometry. Socrates argues that the boy is not learning new information but recollecting what his soul already knew. Érthein is therefore central to Plato's epistemology, positing that true knowledge is innate and accessed through a process of remembering.