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Plato Anil Mitra, © Revision August 2010, © Latest Revision August 22, 2010 Contents Plato’s central Doctrines-the important dialogues The dialogues—in approximate chronological order Early—Socrates’ ideas | Middle—Plato's thought | Late—longer, less dramatic The dialogues—arranged alphabetically Challenge to conventional morality Beauty, beauty and art, Form of beauty | Imitation | Divine Inspiration
IntroductionPurposeThe purpose of this document is to identify (1) The dialogs of interest to my thought, (2) The common estimate of the relative significance various dialogs (3) Plato’s doctrines and (4) Where Plato treats various topics—Metaphysics, Epistemology, Logic, Ethics, Politics… Why dialog?Ego flow—a dual reason: suppression of ego, freedom of ideation Multiple viewpoints—a natural way to present multiple points of view Drama—dramatization is and may be inherently exciting. An ideal way of presentation for this and the other reasons here listed Interactive development—mimics the way ideas develop in dialect (conversation among individuals, dialect of ideas) … and therefore practice for interaction Dialectic versus discursive—when in the shadow between known and unknown, which includes refining the known, and the valuation of what is worth consideration (aesthetic,) discovery remains open: here dialectic and dialog are natural to the openness that is needed. When discovery is definite, the discursive is appropriate. There is ever a balance between the needs Plato’s central Doctrines-the important dialoguesTheory of forms or ideas—a perfect world filled with perfect changeless entities of which the objects of our world are defective copies The dialogues—in approximate chronological orderEarly—Socrates’ ideasApology of Socrates, Crito, Euthyphro, Ion, Lesser Hippias, Greater Hippias, Laches, Lysis, Menexenus, Protagoras, Euthydemus, Charmides Middle—Plato's thoughtGorgias, Meno, Phaedo, Symposium, Republic, Phaedrus, Cratylus, Timeaus, Critias Late—longer, less dramaticTheaetetus, Parmenides, Sophist, Statesman, Philebus, Laws, Letters The dialogues—arranged alphabeticallyApology of Socrates, Charmides, Cratylus, Critias, Crito, Euthydemus, Euthyphro, Gorgias, Greater Hippias, Ion, Laches, Laws, Lesser Hippias, Letters, Lysis, Menexenus, Meno, Parmenides, Phaedo, Phaedrus, Philebus, Protagoras, Republic, Sophist, Statesman, Symposium, Theaetetus, Timeaus MetaphysicsThe Republic—all forms are related to the good Symposium Timaeus Philebus Parmenides Cratylus Euthyphro—essentialism and unity required for definition (nothing defined that is changing) LogicSophist Theaetetus The Republic EpistemologyThe sources for metaphysics Meno Cratylus Theaetetus EthicsApology of Socrates—the unexamined life is not worth living Meno Philebus Politicus Timaeus Laws Euthyphro Laches Protagoras Charmides Challenge to conventional moralityCallicles Thrasymachus AestheticsBeauty, beauty and art, Form of beautyHippias Major ImitationAristophanes—mimêsis Republic 3:—impersonation Republic 10—copy-making Sophist Divine InspirationIon Phaedrus Referenceshttp://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-metaphysics/ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-aesthetics/ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/callicles-thrasymachus/ |