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Delahoyde & Hughes
Orpheus
PLATO
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Plato (c. 427 - c. 347 b.c.e.) is probably the most influential thinker
in the history of Western culture. But he indicates that he was
influenced thoroughly by Socrates before him. Plato was in his twenties
when the seventy-year-old Socrates' career was ending with the trial and
death. Plato invests his own philosophy in recounting ostensible
conversations and dialogues he witnessed between Socrates and others.
Plato founded a school, called the Academy, in 385 b.c.e. This was center
for philosophical training until it was suppressed in 529 a.d. by the
Roman emperor Justinian.
"The Allegory of the Cave":
The piece may owe its mystical aura to the influence of mystery cults.
Otherwise the use of light, chains, and so forth shows reliance on stock
parabolic images. The parable highlights the key problem with semiotic
systems. But ultimately, the application involves a return of the
enlightened philosopher to the crummy world of the rabble.
The Apology of Socrates:
The "Apology" begins with a tongue-in-cheek modesty pose. Socrates
realizes that his reputation has already been constructed, and it is
always difficult if not impossible to overturn people's stupid
impressions.
Socrates claims to have sought out politicians, poets, and artesans,
compelled by piety to search for wisdom. Of course all these people
showed themselves to be fools. Socrates acknowledges that youth is
attracted to irreverence, but that is not his goal nor program.
Socrates engages Meletus in a dialogue and renders idiotic the old
sanctimonious "what about the children?" argument. Socrates sees himself
as a gadfly buzzing about the horse of the State, stirring the State to
life out of its complacency. He will pay no fine, abide by no exile, and
never be silenced.
Phaedo -- The Death of Socrates:
"Such was the end ... of our friend; concerning whom I may truly say,
that of all men of his time whom I have known, he was the wisest and
justest and best."
This famous excerpt, often called "The Parable of the Cave," appears at
the beginning of Book VII of Plato's The Republic, an
investigation into the nature of justice. The Republic is an
attempt to define the ideal state, taking the form of a dialogue between
Socrates and six other speakers. Here Socrates speaks with Glaucus, an
older brother of Plato.
The parabolic form of this material makes it rife for mythic
application. How does it apply to other matters than the engagement of
philosophers in public life?
In 399 b.c.e., prominent Athenians came forth as Socrates' enemies and
charged him on two criminal counts: atheism and the corruption of youth.
Plato writes, and probably witnessed, Socrates' defense against the
charges -- not an "apology" as we think of it now, but rather a
vindication.
Socrates is guilty of putting truth to the test and sticking to his own
truth. His crime is not selling out, which would have satisfied the
accusers and the rabble. In his final dialogue, he attempts to show that,
despite the legal outrage, swallowing the hemlock is the best
alternative.
"Plato." Literature of the Western World, Volume 1. 5th edition by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 2001. 1197-1219.
"Plato." The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, Volume I. 6th ed. NY: W.W. Norton and Co., 1992. 726-746.