Blind as Bats
Aristotle, Metaphysics (993b9-11):
ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ τῶν νυκτερίδων ὄμματα πρὸς τὸ φέγγος ἔχει τὸ μεθʹ ἡμέραν, οὕτω καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας ψυχῆς ὁ νοῦς πρὸς τὰ τῇ φύσει φανερώτατα πάντων.
(Hôsper gar ta tôn nukteridôn hommata pros to phengos echei to meth’hemeran, houtô kai tês hêmeteras psuchês ho nous pros ta têi phusei phanerôtata pantôn.)
“For as the eyes of night creatures are to the light of day, so is our soul’s apprehension to the things that, by nature, are the most immediate and bright of all.”
This may be a stealthy reference by Aristotle to Plato’s Cave Myth, as well as to Plato’s “eye of the soul” (ὄμμα τῆς ψυχῆς, homma tês psuchês: Politeia 533D).
However, as we will see in upcoming posts, this reference may not be a reference to Plato at all, but to a trait more generally embedded within ancient Greek culture.
Note:
The print is by Yamada Hōgyoku and dates to the 1830s (woodblock, 233 x 295 mm).