For your third Pythagorean discussion, I would like you to consider the problem of being responsible for the things you think. Sectioins I-K, Ch. 8, Greek Natural Philosophy, deal with the ways that Aristotle reported the influence of Pythagoreanism on Plato. But they also contain a number of admonishments Plato himself—apparently—passed along by word of mouth (like the Akousmatikoi of Pythagoras) as well as from the actual works (like the Mathematikoi). One notion of great significance revolves around writing itself as dangerous.
Re-examine Section K concerning the EXOTERIC (patent, blatant) doctrines of Plato and the ESOTERIC (latent, hidden) doctrines. Callicott et al identify from Plato’s own writing “three kinds of philosophical discourse (logon)… one oral and the other two written” (2018, 243).
4 Parts to the brief:
(1) What does oral philosophizing have to do with finding a place to flourish in in a “fitting soul” (243)?
(2) What are the two impediments (road-blocks) to the second kind of philosophizing which is a written form?
(3) Why would an author write the third form of recorded philosophy which has a humorous element to it? Be sure to mention which text the authors associate with the big joke (hint, it is not PHAEDRUS but THE ___________).
You can access the book through this website:
https://online.vitalsource.com/#/user/signin
pls ask support team for login info
We are in chapter 8 and the section is “K”.
