For this week’s response I chose to write about Thamus and Theuth. The whole conversation between Socrates (philosopher who dictated the story), and Phaedrus (Socrates’ pupil), is fascinating. However, the following line is what stuck out to me most.  The god Thamus said this to the god Theuth  in response to Theuth’s idea on how letters, and written words will help mankind for the better. “ The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth; they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality. ” I really liked this line because it speaks volumes of mankind today, even though we are talking centuries later. Yes, written text, and literacy has made mankind leap miles in a positive way, and in so many categories. Culture, religion, societies, etc. However, seeing as we live today, with technology surpassing us in so many ways, it is important to acknowledge what Thamus said. Due to technology being where it is, we have become accustomed to it. Sure, it works in our favor, technology, and it is extremely helpful and convenient, yet we are forgetting who and what we were as a people beforehand. It is important to remember the ways of the past, to continue tradition, and not lose ourselves in the future. I believe that was the message of Thamus, if we let ourselves be fooled and seduced by the phenomenal ways of what letters. literacy, and eventually technology bring us, we might forget who we are and where we come from, and that cannot happen.

Cited:

http://www.john-uebersax.com/plato/myths/phaedrus.htm