La legge del πάθει μάθος: Dolore, consapevolezza, libertà

Abstract

Can πάθος, beyond being understood as undergoing or suffering, also intrinsically contain the idea of acting? There is no doubt that its primordial movement must necessarily be regarded as a “pathic” moment; yet within it, if observed from a certain angle, the possibility of “agency” may also emerge. Such a perspective, and the consequences arising from it, may find an initial formulation in the supreme law of πάθει μάθος proclaimed by the Chorus in Agamemnon (vv. 160-83), to whom falls the task of communicating its severe discipline: Zeus leads mortals along the path of wisdom by decreeing the sovereign principle, “learning comes through suffering” (vv. 176-8). To those who have suffered, Dike grants understanding in return (vv. 250-1): one approaches sophrosynē, soundness of mind, by passing through suffering, pain, and disorientation. If, in light of this perspective, it is legitimate to attribute to πάθει μάθος a paideutic function, then it becomes inevitable to invoke, with all the implications that follow, individual action as well, since every pedagogical activity acquires meaning only if there is a mathētēs, a pupil, a disciple.