Athenian Nights

              The next dialogue that I will comment upon is Euthydemus . It definitely has some pearls of wisdom in it, and I would recommend it, with some reservations though. This dialogue is not a failure on the part of Plato, in fact I think he wrote it quite well and it was a topic that necessarily had to be addressed. The only problem is the nature of the subject – it is beyond annoying, but that is not Plato’s fault, it’s just the nature of the beast and not even his monumental intellect and stylistic artistry could help things along much. A couple of themes adumbrated here are by now well-known: whether virtue can be taught, what the key to a happy life is, wisdom as the greatest gift God could bestow on man, etc. Also dealt with is the ambiguity of language, something I haven’t seen Plato address since Phaedrus , so I enjoyed that as well. The overarching topic though is to beware of fools who only pretend at being tru...

             Meno is another hard-hitting heavyweight of a dialogue like the last one I commented on, Protagoras . This is up there with the greats, but not quite as good as the last one. This is mainly due to the fact that the doctrine of anamnesis it touts is one I cannot accept, delightfully fanciful though it may be. Here we have an extended reflection on virtue where Socrates more clearly sets forth his position on the subject. What exactly virtue is and whether or not it can be taught are the main ideas in this dialogue and are focused on in a more laser like fashion than in Protagoras . There are also some surprisingly good epiphanies experienced along the way like when Meno realizes that we all desire good, none desires evil and when Socrates gives excellent pedagogical device. I’m fairly certain Meno would make the cut in my top ten dialogues and if not, it would be fairly close.           ...

              I have enjoyed reading and commenting upon the last few dialogues. There aren’t any Platonic dialogues that are bad, just that some rise head and shoulders above the rest. The shorter ethical works were beautiful in their own way and did address topics of real substance, but I haven’t read something as outstanding as the Protagoras in a while, probably since I read Timaeus or Parmenides . All of the main topics in this dialogue are now familiar to me as well trod ground in Platonism. This dialogue explores virtue in-depth and urges us to practice it and be careful to whom we open our souls to, they are fragile. Protagoras is most famous for Socrates and Plato’s unique and seemingly ridiculous doctrine that no one does evil voluntarily, also known as the denial of akrasia. Akrasia is the Greek word for the concept of going against one’s better judgment or knowledge or being weak in willpower. So, when Socrates de...

              I just finished reading Fahrenheit 451 by the prophetic Ray Bradbury this weekend and it was as exhilarating and inspiring as the first time. I remember my initial exposure to this when I was in the 7 th grade. I was part of a science fiction club and the teacher would either show a sci-fi movie, read from a sci-fi book or anthology, and we would discuss what we’d just digested. During one of these sessions the teacher recommended that we read this delightful short novel, and I consider this quite providential. I’d already had inchoate thoughts that tended towards Bradbury’s main idea in this story, but this really set me on fire for learning and especially reading, something I’ve kept with me and will treasure for the rest of my life. There are many different themes and sub-themes that are immaculately tied together here, but this is an overarching one that informs them all. At the heart of the story is the ide...