Thamus and Toth (Theuth) - Early Greek Concerns Regarding Writing Technologies

Vocabulary flashcards covering Neil Postman's examination of Plato's Phaedrus, focusing on writing technologies, Thamus, Theuth, and Plato's theory of anamnesis.

Neil Postman

Author of Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985) and Technopoly (1992) who passed away on October 5th, 2003, and analyzed Plato's Phaedrus in Technopoly.

Technopoly

A 1992 book by Neil Postman subtitled 'The Surrender of Culture to Technology', whose first chapter is titled 'The Judgment Of Thamus'.

Hermeneutics

The methodology of interpretation, described by Neil Postman in his reading of Plato's Phaedrus as an 'interpretation of an interpretation' (hermeneutics x 2).

Phaedrus (Dialogue)

An ancient Platonic dialogue created ca. 370 BCE featuring Socrates and Phaedrus, exploring topics such as love, rhetoric, and the written word.

Phaedrus (Person)

A young, handsome Greek aristocrat and philosopher whose name means 'bright' or 'radiant', belonging to the inner circle of Socratic students.

Lysias

A Sophist and rhetorician whose speech on love was recited and discussed by Phaedrus and Socrates.

Elenchus

The Socratic method defined by asking the essential question: 'what is X?'.

Thamus

The King of Upper Egypt (also known as Ammon or King of All Kings) whose name means 'wonder' and who judged and rejected the technology of writing.

Theuth (Toth)

The Egyptian god of wisdom and knowledge, and inventor for King Thamus, who created the technology of symbolic expression (writing).

The Judgment of Thamus

King Thamus's rejection of writing as a harmful technology that separates rote information from wisdom and weakens human memory capacity.

Anamnesis

Plato's concept of recollection, in which discovering new knowledge is not creating information but the soul remembering pre-existing wisdom erased at birth.