Andreas Degen

The modern term ›fascination‹ refers to a strong allocation of attention without submitting entirely to understanding. In this paper the concept of this experience is traced back to Plato. Some of Plato’s descriptions of the effect of Socrates conceptualize ›fascination‹ without using a specific term. A cluster of terms (aporia, ekplexis, shame, eros) as well as descriptions of physiological experiences and metaphors of the source domains ›force‹ and ›divided self‹ allow to indicate them as prototypical descriptions of fascination. References to Plato by Marsilio Ficin and Friedrich Nietzsche expose the importance of Socrates in the conceptual history of fascination. mehr