Lecture Literary criticism - Lecture 2: Plato

PLATO


PLATO’S LIFE
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Born in 428 B.C in Athens.
Belonged to an aristocratic family.
He had fine prospects in the public life and had political aspirations..


PELOPONESSIAN WAR
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At the end of “Peloponnesian War” two groups gained power in
Athens.400 and 30.
Plato had mixed feelings about the take over as the two groups i-e 400
and 30 had tyrannical leanings and were causing instability.


SOCRATES’S DEATH
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Plato supported Democracy but the system proved to be less than

perfect in 399 B.C.Socrates Plato’s mentor stood before a jury of 600
Athenians.
The charges against him were of not recognizing the gods of the city.
Also the charges included inventing of new deities.
And corrupting the youth of Athens.


PLATO’S ACADEMY
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After Socrates‘s death Plato formed an Academy in 387 B.C where
students were trained in metaphysics,epistemology,ethics,politics and
natural and mathematical sciences.
This Academy continued for 912 years.


HISTORICAL BACKGROUND FOR
“REPUBLIC”
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Philosophers initially focused on the questions of natural sciences.
Poets and not philosophers addressed the in use of ethics and politics.


5TH CENTURY B.C
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The war between Athens and Sparta resulted & Athens was defeated
which resulted in a major shift.
It thrusted issues of ethics into the hands of philosophers.
The growth of democracy called for a new civic virtue “The ability to
speak persuasively” which became more important than war craft.


SOPHISTS
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Due to the above mentioned reason “sophist” came into existence.
They were teachers of rhetorics who were willing to teach if the student
was walling and able to pay the fee.


SOPHIST’S AGENDA
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Persuasiveness over truth.
Their ideas varied.
Questioned the traditional moral values.
There was no right/wrong but how an action served the interest of the
agent.

It did not believe in objective knowledge/objective truth.


SOPHIST’S BELIFES
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Conventional morality is unjust because it deprives the strong of their
right and exploit the poor.

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They called immorality a virtue because it helped one advancing in a
competition.


SOCRATES V/S SOPHISTS
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Socrates wanted to combat this moral complacency of his fellow
Athenians.
He was concerned to see them live their lives in a selfish and
unreflective haze.
He was concerned to see them focused on gaining and increasing their
powers using the theories of sophists to justify their actions


SOCRATES V/S SOPHISTS
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Socrates acted like a “dagfly”
Stinging his fellow citizens into daily examination.
The unreflected life he said was not worth living.
Plato took over his mission when Socrates died.
Plato wanted to further extend the noble work and question Sophist’s
belief of no such thing as objective truth and knowledge.


PLATO’S PHILOSOPHY
1) Early
2) Middle
3) Late


EARLY PERIOD OF PHILOSOPHY
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This period was soon after Socrates’ death so is closest to philosophy.
Focuses on ethical questions
He used the method of “elenchus”

Sometimes these dialogues ended in the state of “aporia”.
This wa not a futile exercise as philosophical dialectical is essential to
human well being making them more virtuous and happy.
Plato did not accept everything taught by Socrates.He explores the
views critically laying them out but not endorsing them.


MIDDLE PERIOD OF PHILOSOPHY
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Developed personal views.
Dialogues in the form of a conversation between student and teacher.
Here they were able to reach a conclusion.
Focused on theory of forms epistemology,Metaphysics.
Explored questions about
(1) How to live?
(2) What is soul?
(3) Nature.
(4) The role of love.
(5) The nature of physical world.


LATE PERIOD OF PHILOSOPHY
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Extremely controversial and difficult topics.
Difficult to decide what themes and treds define this method.


APORIA
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State of helplessness.
An instability to proceed.


APPETITE
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Largest aspect of our soul.
It contains
- necessary desires (indulged).
- unnecessary desires (limited).
- unlawful desires (suppressed).
Appetite is money loving.
It should be strictly controlled by reason and reason’s henchman spirit.


AUXILLARY
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Plato’s society is divided into three classes:
- Producers.
- Auxiliaries.
- Guardians.


BELIEF
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Second lowest grade of cognitive activity.
The object of belief is physical realm rather than the intelligible realm.


ELENCHUS
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Socrates’ method of questioning.
Showing his interlocutors that the beliefs are contradictatory.
And that they don’t have knowledge about something which they
thought they had knowledge of.


EMPIRICAL
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An empirical question can only be settled by going out in the world and
investigating.
You have to investigate evidence in the world.


EPISTEMOLOGY
Branch of philosophy concerned with :
- Knowledge.
- Belief.
-Thought.
Questions it deals with are :
- Can we know anything?
- How do we form out beliefs?
- What is knowledge?


FORM
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The reality beyond reality which comprises of absolute entities which
are called forms like
- Beauty
-Redness
-Sourness
• Only forms can be object of knowledge.
• Forms are the only things we can know about.


FORM OF “ THE GOOD ”
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Most important.
Our capacity to know
Source of intelligibility.
Responsible for bringing all other forms into existence.