Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.
Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
I've decided to tackle the Platonic dialogues between now and the new year. Anyone have a good YouTube college lecture series on them?
No idea on YouTube. Friends talk highly of Alex Priou. But, a word of advice, look up every (named) character in the dialogues. They don't all matter, but in some cases who they are definitely matters to the meaning of the dialogue. For example, Meno comes across as a clever young gentleman, but he's meant to be hiding that he's an arrogant little shit - Xenophon, another student of Plato's, has him as the worst man among the Greek generals of the Persian Expedition (that is, before he betrays them to the Persians). So to read the Meno you need the context that Socrates completely failed to teach Meno virtue! And then to read the Gorgias, it helps to know that Meno was a student of Gorgias (mentioned in the dialogue), so you have a good sense of the kind of men Plato thinks Gorgias educates. The dialogues are literary philosophy, not just treatises; the characters, setting (e.g. in both the Republic and the Phaedrus, it means something that the discussion is held outside the city), historical context. Imagine someone in the 20th Century writing philosophy as dialogues between well-known political and cultural figures, if that helps.
This is probably overkill, but if you have points in the dialogues that you find confusing or want to deep dive into, you can search an archive of Leo Strauss's courses here, including close readings of several of the dialogues.
More options
Context Copy link
As in, all of the dialogues? My copy of the Complete Works clocks in at 1800+ pages, including notes and introductions but still. I know you're not asking for a list of what to read but here is one I followed (based on this video) and would probably make for a decent couple months worth of reading. Caveat being that the Republic is a beast and might take as much time as the rest of the below list combined.
Ion, Meno (Epistemology)
Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo (trial and death sequence)
Gorgias, Protagoras, Cratylus (Language and rhetoric)
The Republic
Lysis, Symposium, Phaedrus (Friendship and love)
As for youtube resources, Sadler who I linked above has a playlist for Plato: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB0AE9449D5B07340&si=i-m3AmIt2q72X_4b And Michael Sugrue will probably be a top hit for the Republic specifically: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8rf3uqDj00A?si=JQPS5S6p1KTMnrmT
And some supplementary websites: https://www.plato-dialogues.org/tetralog.htm https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato/
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link