Aporia and Picture Books

Abstract

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." -Albert Einstein.  When rationality fails us we are puzzled and left with a sense of "aporia" meaning puzzlement or wonderment. We are "at a loss," perplexed. Many of Plato's dialogues leave us with this sense of aporia. In philosophy, aporia refers to a philosophical puzzle or a seemingly insoluble impasse in an inquiry. What we thought we knew, we have to admit we do not know - rationally. On the other hand, we may have developed a deeper sense of love (in Plato's Symposium), or courage (in Plato's Laches), in the process.