On some reasons for the existence of “Platonic” (“real,” “imaginary”) and “Aristotelian” (“possible,” “effective”) meanings, in which the sense of a word is expressed in Russian

Abstract

The concept of virtual widely used today is polysemantic, but the reasons for this are not quite clear. The article is devoted to the study of some linguistic (semantic) and philosophical reasons for the existence of “Platonic” (real, imaginary) and “Aristotelian” (possible, effective) meanings in which the sense of the word virtual is expressed in Russian. The word virtual is derived from the Latin word virtus. The semantics of the word virtus happens to be interconnected with the meanings of the words ἀρετή, δύναμις and potentia, since the Latin word virtus, which has two semantic “dominants” — virtue is the “Platonic” dominant and power is the “Aristotelian” one, — was used to translate two Greek words: ἀρετή (virtue) and δύναμις (strength, power, might), and the Greek word δύναμις was translated by two Latin words: virtus (righteous divine power) and potentia / potentialitas (ability, power). Through Plato’s doctrine of arete-eidos, the concept of virtus is also connected with the concept of εἶδος. Thus, the “Platonic” line of meanings expressing the sense of the word virtual is connected with the concepts of ἀρετή and εἶδος, and the “Aristotelian” line — with the concepts of δύναμις and potentia.

All meanings of the words virtus, ἀρετή, δύναμις and potentia can be divided into three groups: “Platonic,” “Aristotelian,” and “Platonic-Aristotelian”. The sense of the English word virtual is expressed when translated into Russian by the following four meanings: a) factual, real; being something in essence, really (and not formally); b) imaginary; c) possible; d) effective. The meanings a and b can be attributed to the “Platonic” line, and the meanings c and d — to the “Aristotelian” one. It is considered how the mutual influence of the meanings of the words virtus, ἀρετή, δύναμις and potentia in the three specified groups could lead to the formation of the four above-mentioned meanings, in which the sense of the word virtual is expressed in Russian.

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