Emily Cole: Landscapes of the Sacred Chapter 2, Giving Voice to Place

In Lane’s second chapter of Landscapes, and the final one of his on which I will write, he aims to educate the reader on two Greek words for place, topos and chora, emphasized by Aristotle and Plato respectively (p. 39). This first word, topos, was used by Aristotle to be “a point no different from any other point, an inert container exerting no particular influence on the creatures or objects within it,” (p. 39) This is where we get words such as topography, or topographic, to explain places on maps and GPS systems that show precise points and elevations of places, therefore being able to “pinpoint exactly one’s location on the globe.” On the other hand, chora as coined by Plato refers to a place to resonate with the immediacies of human experience. These places are known to carry their own energy and power, one example being that while a McDonald’s may be the same from one to the next throughout the country, which would be a topos, you would consider it chora if there were one particular McDonald’s in which you proposed to someone you love. This distinction between the two words allows us to see not only Plato and Aristotle’s differences regarding place, but can also help one understand how the two words may apply to different sacred places in their life.