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Sophia is both an idea, a concept and an initiative.
11.05.2015

#Philosophia

If Aesthetics is a philosophical inquiry into art and beauty, it could also be discovered in the aesthetics of vocabulary that represent the culture of an era. From 166.724 words included in the British dictionary, a total amount of 41.214 words are of Greek origin and derivation. Even more amazing is the amount of the vocabulary related to medical and scientific terms where the figure rises over 90%.

We may not always notice these words and their definitions because we are so used to them being a normal part of our life. On the other hand, their meaning remains the same for more than 6 centuries.

Using key words such as #Dialogue, #Utopia or #Ecstasy, SOPHIA collaborators and partners created an new concept collection aiming more than finding Greek words in the English vocabulary. It is about finding the Greek thought in English words. With a series of art de la table or stationary products, the new collection will be named as from its inspirational word: #Philosophia.

#DIALOGUE
Is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such an exchange. As a narrative, philosophical or didactic device, it is chiefly associated in the West with the Socratic dialogue as developed by Plato. The term dialogue stems from the Greek “διάλογος” [dialogos] meaning conversation.

#ECSTASY
To be or to stand outside oneself, a removal of oneself elsewhere. The term is derived from the Greek “έκστασις” [ekstasis] used by Ancient Greek philosophers to denote a heightened state of pleasure or level of consciousness that may have been ignored by other theorists. Related to emotional rapture or spiritual epiphany, it may apply to intense sexual experience and an extraordinary sense of spiritual or physical connectivity to others.

#PHILOSOPHY
Is the study of fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from the other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. The word itself comes from the Ancient Greek “φιλοσοφία” [philosophia] which literally means “love of wisdom”. The introduction of these terms has been attributed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras.

#DEMOCRACY
Is a system of government in which all people in a country are involved in making decisions about its affairs by voting to elect representatives to a parliament. Athenian democracy is the first known democracy, dating from the fifth century BC. The term originates from the Greek “δημοκρατία” [demokratia] or “rule of the people” and is the antonym of “αριστοκρατία” [aristokratia] or “rule of the elite”. Theoretically these definitions are in opposition but historically the distinction has been blurred in practice.

#UTOPIA
An imaginary perfect society especially in its social, political and moral aspects. The term “utopia” was coined from the Greek by Sir Thomas More when describing a fictional island society in the Atlantic Ocean. “Oυτοπια” [outopia] is a combination of the Greek words “ου” [ou] and “τόπος” [topos] that means “no-place” and specifically denotes a non-existent society. Today the word has a broader connotation usually refering to a non-existent society that is better and preferable to an actual, contemporary one.

#HARMONY
The concepts of symmetry, proportion and harmony are commonly associated with Pythagoras and his belief in the “harmony of the spheres”. He theorized that the planets and the stars moved according to mathematical equations which corresponded to musical notes and produced a symphony. The term harmony derives from the Greek “αρμονία” [armonia] which means “joint, agreement, concord” and was often used for all the arts in general. In Ancient Greece it defined the combination of contrasting elements: a higher and a lower note.