In Italy he devoted himself
specially to a study of the doctrine of
Pythagoras. It is said
that at Syracuse he offended the tyrant Dionysius the elder by his freedom
of speech, and was delivered up to the Spartans, who were then at war with
Athens. Ultimately he was ransomed, and found his way back to Athens, but he
is said to have paid a second visit to Sicily when the younger Dionysius
became tyrant. He seems to have entertained the hope that he might so
influence this young man as to be able to realise through him the dream of
his life, a government in accordance with the dictates of philosophy. His
dream, however, was disappointed of fruition,[1]
and he returned to Athens, there in the ‘groves of Academus’ a mythic hero
of Athens, to spend the rest of his days in converse with his followers, and
there at the ripe age of eighty-one he died. From the scene of his labours
his philosophy has ever since been known as the Academic[2]philosophy. Unlike Socrates, he was not content to leave
only a memory of himself and his conversations.[3] He was unwearied in the redaction and correction of his written
dialogues, altering them here and there both in expression and in structure.
It is impossible, therefore, to be absolutely certain as to the historical
order of composition or publication among his numerous dialogues, but a
certain approximate order may be fixed.We may take first a certain number of comparatively short dialogues, which
are strongly Socratic in the following respects: first, they each
seek a definition of some particular virtue or quality; second, each
suggests some relation between it and knowledge; third, each leaves
the answer somewhat open, treating the matter suggestively rather than
dogmatically. These dialogues are Charmides, which treats of
Temperance (mens sana in corpore sano);
Lysis, which treats of Friendship; Laches, Of Courage; Ion,
Of Poetic Inspiration; Meno, Of the teachableness of Virtue; Euthyphro, Of Piety.
Elpenor's note :
[1]But was going to be realised after a while by
Alexander.
Elpenor's note :
[2]Bearing little (and not the most important) in
common with the specialized encyclopedic activity we call ‘academic’
today.
Elpenor's note :
[3]Although he knew and first in all Greek thought
described (mainly in Phaedrus)
as the inherent almost complete impotence of language to serve
knowledge.
A History of Greek Philosophy /
PLATO
