Response to "Reconstruction and the Nature of Philosophy in Plato's Republic," by Gregory Fried, 2002 (original) (raw)

Truth and value in Plato's Republic

Philosophy, 2013

This paper is a reaction to a recent article by Raphael Woolf, the drift of which is that, according to the Republic, truth as such is not important. I am not persuaded and in what follows I try to get clear about why.

Truth as a Value in Plato's Republic

Phronesis: A Journal for Ancient Philosophy, 2009

To what extent is possession of truth considered a good thing in the Republic? Certain pas-sages of the dialogue appear to regard truth as a universal good, but others are more circum-spect about its value, recommending that truth be withheld on occasion and ...

Plato's defense and conception of philosophy in Republic VI

2017

In the following lecture I will not only consider Plato’s positive statements about philosophy. Instead I choose an indirect approach by analysing the critique of his philosophy and his answer to it. This detour could turn out fertile, especially in the context of this conference. First, it could give us a better understanding of the popular picture of philosophy in its early days. Secondly, it could show us, how Plato does not want to be understood and thus contribute to avoiding common misconceptions about Plato and philosophy in general. Lastly, a closer look at Platos refutations of the critics allows a better accentuation of his concept of philosophy. I will try to show, that Plato’s concept of philosophy can best be understood as a certain perspective of thinking, opposed to everyday and sophistical thinking. This concept could be fundamental not only for the understanding of Plato but also for a systematic concept of philosophy as a certain way of thinking. The starting point of my lecture ist he so-called philopher’s critique in Republic Book VI (474b-497a). The critique contains three different challenges against philosophy in general, which ultimately aim at the philosophy of Plato. I will show how these three critiques are systematically connected and are argumentatively supported by the sophists. Plato’s defences reveal a consistent and plausible understanding of philosophy. I. Introduction p.1 a. Plato’s concept of philosophy in recent research b. Intention of the lecture II. Plato’s definition of philosophy p.3 a. Context b. Definition III. Cristiques of philosophy p.5 a. Epistemic critique p.5 i. Challenge ii. Response b. Practical critique p.6 i. Challenge ii. Response c. Moral critique p.9 i. Challenge ii. Response IV. Conclusion p.11