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PlatoIon
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Index of Terms
Rhapsode
A rhapsode is a type of actor or performer skilled in reciting and interpreting poetry. In ancient Greece, rhapsodes performed at gatherings or parties more commonly than in theaters. A rhapsode was responsible for telling stories of cultural significance, thereby ensuring that epic poems and oral histories were passed down through generations during a time when the ability to read and write was uncommon. Ion’s reputation as the best rhapsode in Greece allows Socrates to explore the distinction between knowledge and inspiration as Socrates attempts to determine why Ion is so skilled when it comes to performing Homer’s poetry but not that of any other poet.
Divine Madness
Divine madness, also known as theia mania, is sometimes characterized as “inspiration,” “possession,” or being “out of one’s mind.” It is the state in which one’s reason and intellect are “taken away,” perhaps by some Muse or deity, and one becomes capable of producing works like poetry, music, or prophecy that exceed the bounds that a person would normally be capable of. In ancient times, this concept was used to describe the ecstatic state that accompanied various religious ceremonies and cultural festivals, and religious sects attempted to induce it in a variety of ways, including taking mind-altering substances, fasting, spinning, and communal singing and dancing. When Socrates describes divine madness in “Ion,” he refers to worshippers of Corybantes and Bacchus, who were known to achieve this state in their ceremonies:
You know, none of the epic poets, if they’re good, are masters of their subject; they are inspired, possessed, and that is how they utter all those beautiful poems. The same goes for lyric poets if they’re good: just as the Corybantes are not in their right minds when they dance, lyric poets, too, are not in their right minds when they make those beautiful lyrics, but as soon as they sail into harmony and rhythm they are possessed by Bacchic frenzy (941-42).
Episteme
Though this term does not appear in many English translations of “Ion,” it is an important concept for understanding Socrates’s arguments about why different domains of knowledge belong to different professions and the consequences of these distinctions. An episteme refers to a system of understanding or a science that has borders that distinguish it from other areas of knowledge. The knowledge that belongs to one episteme does not belong to another or at least does not serve the same purpose. Epistemes are distinct from systems of belief because systems of belief are grounded in subjective beliefs rather than objective truths.
Techne
Like episteme, techne is an important concept for understanding the arguments Socrates makes about the distinction between skill and inspiration even though the term does not appear in many English translations of “Ion.” Techne refers to making, doing, art, craft, or skill. It is similar to episteme in that it denotes a particular area of knowledge, but techne is the practical side of that knowledge as opposed to the theoretical side. Socrates claims that Ion’s abilities to recite and interpret the poetry of Homer do not come to him through techne, because if they did, he would know about the art of poetry as a whole. Since he does not, the source of his ability is determined to be divine inspiration rather than skill.
Poet
In “Ion,” the term “poet” has a broader sense than today when it means simply a writer of poetry. In “Ion,” a poet can refer to anyone who writes fiction: poems, songs, plays, myths, etc. More specifically, the term denotes someone who creates literature by receiving inspiration from the Muses. A poet can write by virtue of their natural talent and their study of the craft, but another way to be a poet is to become a vessel through which the gods speak. For Socrates, this is how the best poems are created. The true poet channels the Muses into words that will in turn inspire others when they hear them.
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