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JuliaCecil

ProfessorIzrailevsky
23July2016
CriticalAnalysis

PlatosContradictionsandDialogue
Platowasundeniablyoneofthemostinfluentialandwidelystudiedphilosophersofall
time.NearlyeverygenerationofphilosophersgeneratesatleastonePlatonist.Hisworkshave
dazzledandinspiredgenerationshiswritingsaretimelessinnature.BorninAthens,studentof
Socrates,andmentortoAristotle,Platosworkisnotovershadowedbyhismentor's,norhis
student'shisphilosophystandsalone.Rich.excitingandprovocative,hisworkisarguablysome
ofthemostinfluentialinhistory.
Agreatphilosopherslegacyisshownthroughtheirwritings.Some,likeSocrates,had
studentswhoinscribedtheirlecturesforposterity.Most,likePlato,createdasetofworkson
theirphilosophies.Platoswritingswereunique,andbridgedagapinthewayphilosophywas
beingwrittenandexplained.Heneverwroteanythingthatcouldbeconsideredaphilosophical
treatise.Thismakesitdifficulttoattributeanythingconcretetohim.Itseemsasthoughhis
writingaremoretoprovokethoughtsandtoshowmanyfacetsofphilosophyratherthantoinstill
onethinginthemindsofhisreaders.Platosideasweredeveloped,progressiveandthought
provoking,butthethingthatputhimapartfromotherphilosophersofhistimewashisabilityto
simultaneouslyimbuehisideaswhileallowinghisaudiencetocometotheirownconclusions.

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AllowingroomforthoughtandprocessingwasapointofimportancetoPlato.Heused
literarystrategieswiththeintentofaccuratelyportrayinghisphilosophy.
...Hewassoselfconsciousabouthowphilosophyshouldbeconceived,andwhatits
scopeandambitionsproperlyare,andhesotransformedtheintellectualcurrentswithwhichhe
grappled,thatthesubjectofphilosophy,asitisoftenconceivedarigorousandsystematic
examinationofethical,political,metaphysical,andepistemologicalissues,armedwitha
distinctivemethodcanbecalledhisinvention.(Kraut1)
Platodidseveralthingsinhiswritingthateffectivelyportrayedhisphilosophicalbeliefs
withoutgivingthereaderalloftheanswers.Thefirstthinghedidwastowriteinadialogue.
Manyofhisworkswerewritteninadialogueformatbetweenintellectual.Onecharacterthat
oftenmadeappearanceswasoneresemblingSocrates(Kraut1).Sometimeshistoricalfigures
wouldevenmakeappearances.Heuseddialoguetoexplainanddiscussphilosophicalideasina
waythathethoughtwouldbestencapsulatehisideas....Theuseofcharacterandconversation
allowsanauthortoenlivenhiswork,toawakentheinterestofhisreadership,andthereforeto
reachawideraudience.TheenormousappealofPlato'swritingsisinpartaresultoftheir
dramaticcomposition(Kraus1).Oftentimesthesedialoguesarenonconclusive,simply
comingtoanendwithoutanagreement.
Othertimeshewillcontradicthimselfforexample,contradictionscanbefoundinhis
theoryofforms(Kraut1).Thetheoryofformsisthattwodimensionsofrealityexist.Thevisible
andintelligibleworld.Thebasicidearemainsconsistent,buttheactualconceptionofforms
differsfromdialoguetodialogue.Thisambiguityallowsthereadertomoreorlesscometotheir
ownconclusions(Kraut1).Oneofthemorecontroversialinstancesofambiguityistheideathat

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hisideaformsareopentocriticismandifhecouldrevisehisideasinthecasethatthiscriticism
waswellplaced.IntheworkParmenides,theyoungsocraticcharactercriticisestheformsand
introducesnewideas(Kraut1).ThiscouldpossiblymeanthatPlatochangedhismind,orit
couldmeannothingthathewassimplyintroducingnewideasforthesakeofargument.This
ambiguityallowsthereadertoreachconclusionsaboutthetheoryofformsintheirownminds.
TheRepublicbyPlatoisinfamousforcontradictions,specificallyontheideaofjustice.
InTheRepublic,Platodefinesjusticeasmakingchoicesbasedonwhatissociallybeneficialand
givingwhatyoupersonallyarebestatgivingtothecommunity(Wright).Somearerulers,some
arewarriors.HestatesTodoonesownbusinessandnottobeabusybodyisjustice.(Plato).
Whilethissoundsstrange,itispartiallyexplainedandpartiallyinterpretedtomeanthatone
shouldfulfilltheroletheyarebestatandnotoverstepintorolestheyarenotmeanttotakeon

(Wright).Thejuststate,then,likenature,ishierarchical:individualsarerankedaccordingto
theiraptitudes,anddefinitivelyplacedinthesocialhierarchy(Wright).InTheRepublic,Platos
objectiveistoshowwhyjusticeisnecessary,andhedoesthatthroughhisportrayalofthe
characters.
ThecharacterThrasymachusisoneofthechallengershearguesthatthereisnoobjective
truth,thatmoralsareindividualandfluidwhichissophism.Thrasymachusarguesthatjustice
doesnothingbutadvantagethestrongeranddisadvantagetheweak(Bhandari).Thecharacters
GlauconandCephalusarguedifferentpoints,butcometogetherononecommonelementjustice
wasconsideredexternal,anaccomplishment,animportation,oraconvention,theyhave,none
ofthemcarrieditintothesoulorconsidereditintheplaceofitshabitation(TheRepublic,
Plato)PlatousesthedialogueofSocratestocounterthisfortherestofTheRepublicthrough

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certainevidences.Thefirstevidenceisthatinjusticecanwreakhavocononespsyche,and
causespainanddisorder.Thesecondisthatregardlessofonesconceptionofpleasure(for
exampleonecouldderivepleasurefromrichesandwealth),onlythephilosophercanjudgeas
thephilosopherexperiencesPlatosthreepleasuresthethreepleasuresbeingmoney,truth,
andhonor.Thethirdevidenceishisargumentthatonlyphilosophicalpleasureisrealpleasure
(Wright).
AuthorChristopherWrightstates:
AccordingtoPlato,theidealpersonisaphilosopher,sincehiswisdommeanshissoulis
incompleteharmonywithitself.Thephilosophersrationalfacultygovernshispassionsand
appetites,neverallowingthemfreerein,butstillrespectingtheirclaimsonhimandindulging
themwhenexpedient.Hehasknowledgeofhimselfandsocietyheknowswhatitistobe
virtuoushehasacertainamountofequanimity,andheneverlosescontroloverhimself.By
contrast,Platosunjustpersonisdividedagainsthimself,tornbetweenhispassionsand
appetites,andhasnorespectforreason,whichalonecouldunifyhissoulsuchthathewouldbe
anindividualintheliteralsenseofthewordindividual.
PlatousesthecontradictionofThrasymachusandSocratestoillustratehisversionof
justice.TheeffectivenatureofthistypeofdialogueisthatPlatowasabletonotonlywriteabout
theideasbuttosimultaneouslysilenceanyargumentsthatmayhavearisenifhehadsimply
explainedhisideasofjustice.WhatisingeniousaboutthisstyleofdialogueisthatitallowsPlato
topredictquestionsandcounterargumentsandpreemptivelyputthemtorest.Explainingthe
argumentbeforehandalsoallowsforamorethoroughandindepthexplanation,asdissent
createsakindofpressuretoperform.Bycontradictinghisowncharacters,Platocould

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effectivelymaintainanambiguityandexploretheissuefromallangleswhilestillmaintaining
hissteadfastvirtue.
Platosusesofdialogueandcontradictionsgiveshisreadersawiderscopeofwhatheis
effectivelytryingtocommunicate.Platoslegacyasawritermarkshimasoneofthemost
memorableandrenownedphilosophersinhistory.Hehadadistinctgoalinmindofhowhe
thoughthisphilosophyshouldbeportrayed,andexecuteditthoroughlyandcompletelythrough
hisdialogues.Hisinfluenceisundeniable,anditisimportanttorecognizetheconnection
betweenhimandhisaudience.Platosknowledgeofthehumanmindandhisabilitytoconnect
tohumankindcenturiesafterhispassingthroughhiswritingsconstituteshislegacyandwill
continuetopersistforcenturiestocome.

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WorksCited
Kraut,Richard.Plato.StanfordEncyclopediaofPhilosophy,Stanford.2013,Web.23July,
2016.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato/
Wright,Christopher.PlatosJustState.PhilosophyNow,PhilosophyNow.2012.Web,23July
2016.
https://philosophynow.org/issues/90/Platos_Just_State
Bhandari,D.R.PlatosConceptofJustice,anAnalysis.BostonUniversity,Paideia.N.d.Web.
23July,2016.
https://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Anci/AnciBhan.htm