Plato of Athens (Reading group, meeting #2)

Dear Philosophers of Kingston,

The second meeting of our reading group on Robin Waterfield's book Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy.

For this meeting we will cover the following chapters:

• 3. From Politics to Philosophy
• 4. Writing and Research in the 390s and 380s
• 5. The Academy

Hope to see some of you there. Please be sure to bring a lawn chair, and head towards the sheltered area with the bathrooms, we will be sitting behind that structure under a tree.

Cheers,
Colin

*** updated **** Plato of Athens (book summary and questions for meeting #2 ....
Chapter 5
Important background details of the historical context of Plato. Rule by the 30 Tyrants. Athens is conquered by Sparta, the democratic government is replaced by an oligarchy that stays in place for a year before the Athenians regain power. Details about the trial of Socrates as well (spoiler alert… he is condemned to death by drinking hemlock). These events fuel Plato’s disillusionment with the Athenian experiment in direct democracy.

Plato engaged in miliary service (73), though it is difficult to know the details. Some contend that Plato fought in three engagements during his lifetime, and was even awarded the prize for valour.

p. 75 it is noted that Plato’s writings span 50 years!, he was not paid for his dialogues, and there was no copyright at the time. This raises the question -- why did he write so much and for so long? If it was pure intrinsic motivation he must have had a burning passion (in addition to competence) for philosophy.

2 approaches to Plato’s works (78):
(1) doctrine (unitarianism): Plato never changed his mind, and he worked out his total philosophy before he started the dialogues
(2) development: Plato’s ideas developed and changed, reflected in the dialogues

Question #1: bottom of p. 79 and again on p. 105, the core ethical principles of Plato’s works are noted, lets discuss and debate them. They are:
(i) a human being must try to fulfill the divine, rational part of his nature, not his bestial side, that will attach him via pleasure
(ii) everyone aims for happiness or fulfillment but that is not the product of satisfying bodily appetites
(iii) virtue is not of minor relevance to happiness, virtue is happiness (and knowledge)
(iv) Actions are not good unless the person performing the action is good and goodness is primarily a condition of the soul.
(v) A good person’s body may be harmed but not their soul [p. 105]
(vi) It is never good to do wrong, even when repaying wrongdoing with wrong
(vii) It is better to be punished then escape
Question #2: discuss your answer to the following
p. 93 “At the heart of The Apology is a question that occupied Plato throughout his life: how should a philosopher react to the corrupt society in which he lives?”

Question #3: is this a defensible claim?
p. 111 “Philosophers seek knowledge and truth through conversation, while others seek to give pleasure and perpetuate beliefs that have not been properly examined; philosophy pursues vitue and has nothing to do with self-interest… philosophy persuades by argumentation while others rely on rhetorical strategies.”

p. 120 Plato enslaved: poor Plato! (the life of a philosopher is never easy)

When travelling to Syracuse the ship he was on stopped at a pro-Spartan island, and Plato was captured and held for a large ransom which was paid by someone else. Another version of the story is that the ship was attacked by pirates, and Plato ended up in the slave market. When it was discovered who he was he was sentenced to death. But this was commuted when his fine was paid by someone.

The Academy
p. 140 “Plato saw his job as attracting and fostering fine intellects and groundbreaking work, not as turning out clones of himself” The courses were often very long, like a decade long! (longer than current PhD programs)

Question#4: could education today stand to benefit from learning about and implementing Plato’s pedagogical approach?