The Protagoras is a dialogue that is entirely narrated by Socrates. Unlike The Republic, the Protagoras dialogue begins with Socrates's conversation with an unknown "friend". His friend asks where Socrates has come from -he asks if he as hunting the beautiful Alcibiades. Socrates says he has just come from being with him, and that Alcibiades came to his defense, but … Continue reading The Examination of Virtue in the Protagoras
Month: January 2017
An Analysis of the Soul in the Phaedrus
Socrates begins his famous account of the tripartite soul in the Phaedrus at 244a, not unlike the account given in The Republic. The whole dialogue begins outside the walls of the city of Athens. Socrates and Phaedrus are barefooted and walking through a stream. Phaedrus has just ended an evening with Lysias, the rhetorician and son of … Continue reading An Analysis of the Soul in the Phaedrus
Socrates and Meno
In the Meno, the initial question posed by Meno is never truly answered. To set the scene, Meno is visiting Athens from Thessaly, as the guest of Anytus. According to Plato and Xenophon, Meno was an attractive young man, and a fierce political leader, as well as a follower of Gorgias. Socrates refers to him as … Continue reading Socrates and Meno
Socrates and Phaedrus on Love
In our inquiry concerning the nature of love, we turn our attention to two Platonic dialogues, Phaedrus and the Symposium. Both dialogues share some key components in common, perhaps none more apparent than the prominence of Phaedrus, a young and attractive man, according to Plato, who is a student of physics and rhetoric. First we consider Phaedrus in … Continue reading Socrates and Phaedrus on Love
Initial Notes on Plato’s Phaedrus
The dramatic narrative of Plato's Phaedrus begins within the city limits of Athens, as Socrates is calling out to the young Phaedrus, whose name means "bright". Phaedrus tells Socrates that he has been with Cephalus's son, Lysias (not Polemarchus as in the Republic) since dawn and Socrates correctly guesses that Lysias has been "feeding" Phaedrus with … Continue reading Initial Notes on Plato’s Phaedrus
The Circus
The Circus (1928) Director: Sir Charles Chaplin The Circus is a delightful film, reprising Chaplin's famous "Tramp" character. In truth, it was one of the hardest movies Chaplin ever made. During the filming, his mother died, there were numerous scheduling delays, a studio fire, a bitter divorce from his second wife, Lita Grey, he suffered … Continue reading The Circus
Seven Chances
Seven Chances (1925) Director: Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton Based on the musical of the same name, this silly film tells the story of Jimmie Shannon, a stock broker, who is on the verge of bankruptcy at the firm with his partner. However, a lawyer chases him and his partner around town to inform him that … Continue reading Seven Chances
The Iron Horse
The Iron Horse (1924) Director: John Ford An early western epic, Ford's The Iron Horse was a massive production. At two and a half hours of running time, it is an extended silent film, even though much of the film was unplanned. It was filmed during a cold winter in the Nevada desert. Ford later said it … Continue reading The Iron Horse
What is Love in the Symposium?
Plato’s famous dialogue, the Symposium, takes place the day after the tragic poet, Agathon, wins his first and only award at the Lenaia in 416 BC, the year before Alcibiades’s failed quest to Sicily. The dramatic setting occurs with a group of Athenians gathered at Agathon’s house in Athens in celebration of his victory. It is a … Continue reading What is Love in the Symposium?
The Symposium III: Erixymachus, Aristophanes, Agathon, Socrates, and Alcibiades
Erixymachus follows Pausanias, only after Aristophanes is overcome with a fit of hiccuping -an appropriate interruption for the famous comedian who once mocked Socrates in The Clouds. Erixymachus, appropriately, praises Eros as the superiority of the medical art, over and above the legal craftsmanship of Pausanias. Recall that Erixymachus is a doctor, and is a follower … Continue reading The Symposium III: Erixymachus, Aristophanes, Agathon, Socrates, and Alcibiades
