Abstract
The aim of the study is to analyze the terminological origins of the concept of «space», which in turn is one of the fundamental philosophical categories. Thus, the concept of space is used in everyday and scientific life, which allows us to explore its diversity. It was worth referring to the original sources of the concept, so in Hebrew we find the concept of space – אֶרֶץ (eretz / arets), which contains the meaning of “land”, “space”, “land of the people”, “country”, “people”, “land for work”, “place of residence”. It turns out, with the help of linguistic sources, that the eretz has its equivalent in the Greek language in the form of χωρα (chora), which refers us to a more detailed study of this concept. So, in Greek the chora it means “country”, “area”, “city”, “village”, “people”, “field”, etc., but the interesting point is that the meaning of the word can be understood only in a specific use depending on from the context. In this case, the chora acquires interesting meanings, as a type of activity, type of work or an area of philosophy. The chora has many word forms, all of which indicate place, movement, exchange, transition, and interpenetration. One of the first to use this word in his philosophy was Plato, so he gave it a different meaning, revealing its deep meanings. The idea of the Platonic chora is important for explaining the universe in ancient times. Thus, the Platonic chora is now referred to as the “nurse of all births”, “receptacle”, “abode”, “cradle”, etc. It acts as a mediator between the world of ideas and the world of copies, it accepts everything that was to be born, without changing, without distorting, it conforms to the law of the cosmos, in it everything is in its place according to its purpose. Consideration of the representatives of Neoplatonism helped to expand, clarify and supplement the conceptual apparatus of the study. The space, once deprived of spirituality (fullness), regains its vital colors. Thus, space is considered not as physical matter, geometric area or length, but as a kind of analogue of the state of interaction of a place and what this place fills.