Divisione e Partecipazione. Il problema dell’uno e del molteplice in Phil. 15b

Division and Participation: The Problem of the One and Many in Phil. 15 b · The aim of this paper is to propose a new interpretation of the much debated Platonic passage Phil. 15 a-b, based on a thorough analysis of the grammatical and exegetical issues concerning its translation. The first part of the paper will be devoted to a step-by-step explanation of our translation choices and to a discussion of the inaccuracies which are often found in the literature. In the second part, an attempt will be made to provide an interpretation of the three questions asked by Socrates at Phil. 15 b 1-8 within a consistent theoretical framework. In our view, in these questions Socrates points out some problems that may follow from the application of the notion of participation t o the unitary nature of forms.