Φίλοι,
Below is the reading that is to be completed by Session 2: Dialectic and the Theory of Recollection.
In this session, we will discuss the first section of Plato’s Phaedrus in which Socrates and Phaedrus playfully consider the nature of love in a rousing back-and-forth, characteristic of Socratic dialectic. Why might Socrates insist that he has more to learn from Phaedrus reading a speech out loud, rather than Socrates simply reading it himself? From this, we will move to our first major tenet of Platonism: The Theory of Recollection, which holds that the human soul already has knowledge of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.
Required:
Plato, The Phaedrus, 227a-243e.
Optional:
Nicholson, Graeme. “Introduction” in Plato’s Phaedrus: The Philosophy of Love, 1-13. (PDF)
Pickett, Brent. "Homosexuality" in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (Web)
Plato, The Symposium, 204b-212c.
The Phaedrus 227a-243e follows Socrates and Phaedrus as they discuss the nature of love and speeches. If there are difficulties following the Stephanus pagination (little numbers on the margins that are distinct from proper page numbers), let me know and I'll help you navigate your pages. Basically, start at the beginning of the dialogue, end right after Socrate's first speech that recapitulates the (clearly inferior) speech of Lysias, given by Phaedrus. If you start seeing stuff about the different types of souls, you have gone too far. That said, there is no harm in reading the whole dialogue up front. This reading is difficult, especially if you are new to ancient texts. You do not need to be the master of the text-- just dip your toes in and see how the water feels. Enjoy with a beer if you are a drinker or a lemonade if you are not. Screwing up your mind trying to decipher every word before moving on to the next sentence is a fast way to not enjoy reading Plato. You can always go back.
**optional** Graeme offers an excellent introduction to The Phaedrus in the PDF below. Here, you can revisit Plato's biography, get a birds eye view of the Early/Middle/Late dialogues, and see how The Phaedrus fits into this schema.
**optional** Pederasty is a phenomenon that is often new to Plato readers. While pederasty will not be the primary focus of our discussion next week, charitably engaging with the historical context can elucidate a lot of meaning in the dialogue. Check out Pickett's article on Homosexuality from the Stanford Encyclopedia of philosophy here, specifically the first section titled "History" on the erastes/eromenos relationship in Plato's Academy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/homosexuality/
**optional** Finally, I have provided a selection of another Platonic dialogue, The Symposium, that might help clarify why Plato is so concerned with erotic love in spite of his commitment to immaterial capital-T Truth. This section is referred to as "The Ladder Argument" that shows how loving physical bodies that participate in Beauty lead us to loving Beauty itself. Full text of the Symposium is in the PDF below.
Happy reading!
-S
