The Republic is a Socratic dialogue, written by Plato around 380 BC, concerning justice, the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man. Part of the joy of reading Plato for the third, fourth, fifth time is to see each time a bit more about what he is doing and why he is doing it, to come closer to appreciating his extraordinary genius and encountering ever more deeply this incredible mind. Even the most minute seeming points are there for good reason. There is nothing accidental about what he writes there is nothing superfluous. The other thing to realize about Plato is that he is an exquisite poet and craftsman. He wants you to think, and to think deeply. In short, he wants you to do the most difficult intellectual exercise there is.
He wants you to identify the fallacies in his arguments (and some are deliberately fallacious). Most authors we read today are trying to persuade us to agree with their point of view.
And so on.īut he is still, and for very good reason, the most influential philosopher in Western civilization.
The moral of the story is: Plato is stupid.Īll the criticisms of Plato are valid. SOCRATES: "Ha ha! My simple rhetorical device has duped them all! I will now go celebrate by drinking hemlock and scoring a cameo in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure!" STRAWMAN: "My God, Socrates! You have completely won me over! That is brilliant! Your woefully simplistic theories should become the basis for future Western civilization! That would be great!" Listen, Strawman: can we agree to the following wildly presumptive statement that is at the core of my argument?" SOCRATES: "Hello, I will now prove this theory!" Read this, understand that he is not joking, and understand that Plato is well and truly fucked in the head.Įvery single one of his works goes like this: Let me explain why I'd recommend this book to everyone: Plato is stupid.Īnd it's important that you all understand that Western society is based on the fallacy-ridden ramblings of an idiot.
0 kommentar(er)
