An Evaluation of the Influence of Plato's Understanding of Mathematics on Modern Science

in the Context of Martin Heidegger

Abstract

What science is constitutes one of the foremost topics of debate in the modern world. To draw attention to this debate, Heidegger stated that it is necessary to define what science is. According to him, science is a tool that presents everything related to what exists. This tool has acquired a new meaning in line with the modern understanding of science. This is because modern science is grounded in Ancient Greek philosophy. For this reason, from Heidegger's perspective, science can be seen as the theory of the real. The real, however, should not be evaluated as a result, but rather as a process. Therefore, the real is something that is constantly at work. This process can be explained by Aristotle's concept of ‘energia’. Furthermore, theory means the fixation and objectification of the real. Therefore, what modern science does is to fix science by dividing it into parts. It is also an attack on the real. For this reason, the real is a process of work. The fact that the real is a process of work shows that it is a concept related to technique. The real emerges in a way that is dependent on working and doing. The fact that it is a working process also shows that it is not the result that emerges. Therefore, in this study, the nature of science will be discussed, and Plato's influence on modern science will be examined within the context of Heidegger.