When discussing any topic, having the same basic premises and understandings is critically important. When those aren’t present, you’re essentially talking on two different planes. The involved parties are, in reality, discussing different topics, although they often don’t realize it. This is the problem facing the modern reader when they attempt the philosophy of the ancient world.

Many concepts that modern readers understand as singular, such as love and goodness, were expressed in ancient Greek with multiple, distinct terms. Take love, for example, the English language only has one word to define the entire concept, but Greek uses two words, eros (romantic or passionate love)  and agape (selfless, unconditional love). These terms carry different connotations. English translators are forced either to retain the original Greek terminology or risk losing subtle meanings in translation. As a result,  modern readers should be mindful of the nuance that can be lost due to the inadequacy of the English language.

On the other hand, sometimes Greek terms simply have different definitions tied to them than the ones we tie to them now. Dike, Greek for justice, is drastically different from our modern understanding of the word. The modern sense of the word is narrow by Greek standards. We focus primarily on its application to law and giving just dues. The concept of giving to each what they deserve, whether it be good or bad. The Greek sense extends beyond. To the Greeks, justice was also everything being in the right place and in the right order. So justice would be enacted if everyone were performing their proper role, and basically if the cosmos were acting as it should. Therefore, we as modern readers have to be wary of different definitions of terminology, even if it is the same. To make this concept a bit easier to digest, many words have deviated significantly from their original Old English definitions. Take silly, for example, many centuries ago it meant happy or fortuitous, while now it means foolish or absurd. Though the difference between dike and justice isn’t that extreme, we have to think from the perspective of the original users of the term and understand the connotations that they surrounded the term with. 

So just remember, when discussing or debating a topic, it is important to be working from the same definitions and premises. Oftentimes, others, especially people from different times and cultures, have very different interpretations of many concepts, and we have to be aware of that difference.

_{Photo by Arantxa Quiñones on Unsplash}