The Role of Exaíphnes in Early Greek Literature

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There are thirty-six appearances of the Greek word exaiphnes in Plato's dialogues. Usually translated as "all of a sudden" or "suddenly, " exaiphnes emerges in several significant passages. For example, exaiphnes appears three times in the "allegory of the cave" from Republic vii, and heralds the vision of the Beautiful in Symposium. Commonly translated in the Parmenides as "the instant, " exaiphnes also surfaces in a crucial section of the dialogue's training exercise. The Role of Exaiphnes in Early Greek Literature: Philosophical Transformation in Plato's Dialogues and Beyond connects the thirty-six scattered appearances of exaiphnes and reveals the role it plays in linking Plato's theory of ideas with education. It discloses how Plato's step-by-step, methodical approach to philosophical education climaxes with a dynamic conversion experience signified by the appearance of exaiphnes. Plato's conception of exaiphnes was transformative with respect to how the term was used in Greek literature by his predecessors and influential for ensuing philosophers. Following Plato, exaiphnes and its cognates came to represent the peak of philosophical or theological enlightenment. The Role of Exaiphnes in Early Greek Literature: Philosophical Transformation in Plato's Dialogues and Beyond traces the meaning of the term in Greek literature prior to and contemporaneous with Plato, Plato's innovative use of exaiphnes, and the impact of Plato's notion of "the sudden" upon subsequent thinkers.