Phaedrus

by Plato, Christopher J. Rowe (Editor)

The dialogue begins with a playful discussion of erotic passion, then extends the theme to consider the nature of inspiration, love and knowledge. The centerpiece is the myth of the charioteer - the famous and moving account of the vision, fall and incarnation of the soul. Professor Hackforth here translates the dialogue for the student and general reader. There is a running commentary on the course of the argument and the meaning of the key Greek terms, and a full intoduction to explain the philosophical background and the place of this work among Plato's writings.

Genres: Philosophy, Classics

Hardcover

Published June 1, 1986

About the author

Plato (Greek: Πλάτων), born Aristocles (c. 427 – 348 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms. He raised problems for what became all the major areas of both theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.
Plato's most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which has been interpreted as advancing a solution to what is now known as the problem of universals. He was decisively influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself.
Along with his teacher Socrates, and Aristotle, his student, Plato is a central figure in the history of philosophy. Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years—unlike that of nearly all of his contemporaries. Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages. Through Neoplatonism, he also greatly influenced both Christian and Islamic philosophy. In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead famously said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."

Reviews

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are now surrounded on all sides by dumbed-down depravity. So do we throw in the Wimp’s Towel?

Plato didn’t. And neither should we.

I’m going to have to agree with Dave, whose identical five star rating you can see here.

I’m really going out on a limb, too, with this little salvo: in my advanced age: It’s my absolute FAVE among Plato’s dialogues.

Quite simply, it’s (to me) the most level-headed yet mystical, the most earthy yet morally sensible of the lot!

Socrates, as he usually does, runs into one of his sycophantic young male admirers in the agora (probably while seeking shelter from his dear Xanthippe’s hassles ‘n taunts, as Brecht so bluntly envisages his wedded bliss) and cuts, feints and parries like a highly accomplished fencing master when the kid turns up the heat.

One can easily imagine being present in the NYC Ballet’s masterful 1979 production of Richard Strauss’ Bourgeois Gentilhomme, when the dashing young Nureyev himself cut, feinted and parried - as Molière himself had to do, to fend off the châtiments prescibed by the Royal Establishment.

Except Socrates is no would-be Gentleman.

Ever humble (part of his rehearsed routine? For I sense repressed rage in his Apology), he was the image of true nobility in a phony Athenian world gone mad with desire.

He says here, in fact, that the only way to construct one of the Chariots of the Gods that freely run through Heaven is to kill your bad side - the wildly disobedient nag in your morally mixed horsepower duo.

In other words: control, and not exercise, of desire is the key to getting admission into Heaven.

How Erasmus and St Paul would later echo his words! The middle way is best.

As an old man, my love now is now strictly platonic, and I’m glad of it. You can’t ride two warring horses to victory.

And Plato was right... you don’t get to Heaven any other way, either.

Augustine was so right to quote Plato extensively, especially in his masterpiece, the City of God.

With a key caveat: Plato was unchristian, Augustine says, in his constant reliance on the pagan deus ex machina of reincarnation.

How to put a damper on your spiritual fire - simply believe that you may as well gather ye rosebuds and frolic, cause it’ll take you many, many kalpas to be rid of your pain.

And don’t believe in placing Opinion on a pedestal over Truth - on which Augustine and Plato agree! What is the daily news but putting ordinary events under the microscope of Opinion?

Democracy is based on gathering concurrence of Opinion (‘doksa’ in Plato’s Greek) in order to govern, rather than putting Transcendent Values - what Plato calls Forms - in a place of primacy.

If Value rules our lives, our hearts will be in the right place! Don’t mind the all-too-prevalent gnostic discouragement. Life cannot be based on conformance with hearsay, but only in agreement with God’s will.

Gnostics always try to stop you in your tracks - just like pop-up ads.

So never take the easy way out & say Heaven can Wait -

For - watch out! I’m not kidding - that fabled Land of Heaven and Hell is really always only a heartbeat away!

[Daniel Berryment · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is insane. Socrates hears a speech he doesn’t like, so he gives one to oppose it. However, afterwards, he is possessed by the gods of the cicadas to deliver another speech opposing his own. He then launches into a discourse with Phaedrus about how most speeches are lame anyway, if the speaker hasn’t discerned the truth. But even that’s better than reading, which only provides a pale imitation of knowledge.

Socrates also gets called out for fabricating sources and says, “So what? The prophets of Zeus do it all the time. It only matters if what I say is true, bigot.” And Phaedrus immediately decides that, yeah, that checks out, and he was wrong for asking for scholarly citations.

And that’s not even getting into the insane stuff about what a blight twinks and their sugar daddies are on Athenian society, or human souls originally following the Olympians in train before they were shorn of their wings and cast down to earth. (Is this the origin of the “featherless biped” idea from that story about Diogenes plucking a chicken?)

What a trip. There are plenty of asides which are beautiful or amusing if nothing else. The discourses on rhetoric are generally helpful. Plato is clearly up to something interesting, but I am not quite sure I understand what it is. I’ll have to return to this one again someday, but it’ll be a while before I am ready.

[Kabaal van Napels · Rating 4 out of 5]

All you need is love … for wisdom

Written in the 4th century BC, "Phaedrus" is one of Plato’s erotic dialogues. Addressing themes as love, friendship and beauty as well as lust, madness, the nature of the soul and rhetoric, ultimately this is another installment of Socrates’ philosophy as a manifestation of love for wisdom.

As always, Plato gives the reader a lot to do in the 68 pages the “Phaedrus” counts, but his prose and Christopher Rowe’s introduction and excellent explanatory notes make this a rewarding read. In addition, listening to Peter Adamson’s podcast and reading his accompanying book, Classical Philosophy: A history of philosophy without any gaps, Volume 1 has further developed my enjoyment of reading “Phaedrus”, my understanding of the themes, theories and context of Plato and my appreciation of the genius of Plato’s Socrates.

[Caomhghain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not one of Plato's most coherent dialogues. The debate is over truth and rhetoric and love and Socrates gives a wonderful, and very rhetorical speech for love before denouncing rhetoric.