 Two distinct phenomena are covered by the shift he observed in Greek culture at the end of the 5th century : the content of thought ( in particular the concept of man or of the soul ) , and the organisation of thought . In Homer , Havelock argues , the order of ideas is associative and temporal . The epic 's " units of meaning ... are linked associatively to form an episode , but the parts of the episode are greater than the whole . " For Plato , on the other hand , the purpose of thought is to arrive at the significance of the whole , to move from the specific to the general . Havelock points out that Plato 's syntax , which he shares with other 4th @-@ century writers , reflects that organisation , making smaller ideas subordinate to bigger ideas . Thus , the Platonic theory of forms in itself , Havelock claims , derives from a shift in the organisation of the Greek language , and ultimately comes down to a different function for and conception of the noun . 
