Plato's later dialogues hardly seem to be "classical" works of "calm grandeur and noble simplicity" (Lessing).  Instead, they are a strange, even "uncomfortable"  wonderland of dialectics, politics, sociology, methodology, ontology all mixed together in conversations that seem more cryptic than ironic, that seem more post-modern than classical. The richness of these dialogues, their surprising images and their strangeness has always provoked lively and deep philosophical discussion and writing. We will read three dialogues, the Sophist, Politicus (Statesman), and Philebus.  There will be some introductory remarks about two other late dialogues, the Parmenides and Theaetetus.

Plato is best known for his literary/philosophical masterpieces, such as the Republic and the Symposium.  His later “dialectical” dialogues are more philosophical, and the drama is not of characters and clashing views so much as the play of concepts and understanding -- talk of a sketch artist leads to the problem of non-being; the “male” art of politics is analyzed in terms of the “female” art of weaving; and a hedonist is lulled to sleep by a discussion of pleasure.  The turns of conversation are startling, amusing, and profound.  The Sophist is taken to be a core statement of Plato's later version -- perhaps revision -- of his theory of ideas, tackling questions of being and non-being, sophistry, illusion, negation, and method.  The Politicus, a key political and methodological work, starts with a fisherman and goes on to situate politics and philosophy within human temperaments and cosmic temporality.  The Philebus connects the world of pleasure and appearances with the world of intellect and Platonic principles; it directly addresses the issue of “participation” and the relevance of philosophy to life.  All three dialogues confront the deepest problems of being and knowledge, of the one, the many and the good life.

The course presupposes no background in Plato or Plato scholarship.  The three dialogues also will provide an occasion to look at some interesting commentaries and views of Plato in Europe (German, Italian, and French). I hope to make some use of Robert Brandom's recent work on idealism as well.

There will be three short written assignments (one on each dialogue) and a final exam.  Students will be encouraged to develop a common theme in the three essays.

Texts:

Students are welcome to use their preferred translation of each of the three dialogues.  Various translations in various languages are available on the web. A packet of selected supplementary readings will be available from Durak Copy.

Course Outline:

Here is a sketch of the topics for each of the six weeks (approximate). Check back for updates and further details [10.4.2008]

1. Introduction. The Way Up and the Way Down. Problems on the way up (epistemology): Theaetetus. Problems on the way down (metaphysics): Parmenides.

2. Sophist. Methodology as the way up and the way down. The failures of methodology.
Philosophy, the mastery of phenomena; sophistry; the manipulation of phenomena.

3. Sophist. The Problem of "seeming" (phenomena): "is and is not". 1st written assignment.

4. Politicus. The cognitive grasp and the "what" of the world: measure. The complexity of praxis: weaving.

5. Politicus. The human condition: politics and law substitute for knowledge. Plato's "Second Sailing." 2nd written assignment.

6: Philebus. The One/Many problem. Intellect and Pleasure: the One and the Indefinite Dyad.
The idealist account of experience. Finding the way home. 3rd written assignment.

Exam.