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Plato of Athens

By: Robin Waterfield
Narrated by: Tristam Summers
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Summary

Considered by many to be the most important philosopher ever, Plato was born into a well-to-do family in wartime Athens at the end of the fifth century BCE. He finally decided to go into politics, but became disillusioned, especially after the Athenians condemned his teacher, Socrates, to death. He began teaching in his twenties and later founded the Academy, the world's first higher-educational research and teaching establishment. Eventually, he returned to practical politics and spent a considerable amount of time and energy trying to create a constitution for Syracuse in Sicily that would reflect and perpetuate some of his political ideals. The attempts failed, and Plato's disappointment can be traced in some of his later political works.

In his lifetime and after, Plato was considered almost divine. This led to the invention of many tall tales about him—both by those who adored him and his detractors. In this first ever full-length portrait of Plato, Robin Waterfield steers a judicious course among these stories, debunking some while accepting the kernels of truth in others. He explains why Plato chose to write dialogues rather than treatises and gives an overview of the subject matter of all of Plato's books. Clearly and engagingly written throughout, Plato of Athens is the perfect introduction to the man and his work.

©2023 Robin Waterfield (P)2023 Tantor
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Typical Bourgeois Fair

A bizarre distortion of reality - deliberately employing inverted thinking - and a set of disturbing and dangerous straw dog arguments by an author who is attempting to convey his own insidious and hidden agenda. Indeed, Jacques Derrida's Writing and Difference certainly comes into play as we strive to "deconstruct" the surface meaning from the deep intention the author applies whilst utilising all types of camouflage and deception. The author is set on justifying totalitarian, oppressive and fascistic attitudes - whilst simultaneously suggesting that a genuine criticism of moral deviancy is "misplaced" should a reader feel that the Greek (aristocratic) tradition of (routinely) sexuslly abusing male children is "wrong". Yes, Socrstes and Plato - for all their wisdom and genius of thought - were both sexually abused as children and were abusers of children when they were adults. Indeed, Socrates talks openly of abusing teenage boys - whilst Plato was never married (although advocating in Laws that all men should marry between 30-35). Many hundreds of years later, however, Plotinus fully rejects this old Greek tradition - which demonstrates that clear thinking need not be entwined with the politics of accommodating sexual deviancy. The author is further mistaken when he assesses the notion of "Impiety" - a crime that Socrates committed - although not necessarily on purpose or with the original intent the crime defined. Socrates emphasised a multifaceted, open and free state of mind that can seriously consider more than one interpretation of reality without siding with one aspect of a duality. Socrates understood both "Piety" and "Impiety" with an equal vigour. The corrupt Greek State chose to interpret this in a partial manner - whilst Socrates chose to punish this corrupt behaviour by holding the corrupt officials to the consequences of their actions. The author's somewhat ahistorical and childish misappropriation of the name of Joseph Stalin may be rectified by accessing the work of Grover Furr and numerous other reliable historians. Needless to say, some of those modernists who like to pass themselves off as "Philosophers" - are often the worst type of manipulators. Remember to always think for yourselves. Extract what is useful from this self-serving work - and move on. As Hanlet says - "The rest is silence."

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