Todays nugget:
The diagonal is to the slave boy, as the slave boy's ability to enquire is to Meno.
We also discussed the difference between rhetoric and speech, dialogue and writing. Specifically, we discussed Plato's claim that "anything written should not be taken seriously." This is both a defense/explanation of the form in which he writes and advice on the proper way to approach his writings. To say that we should not take writing seriously is to view the written word as a catalyst for ones own thoughts. Good writing does not answer questions, but instead it poses questions where one did not see the possibility for enquiry before. Philosophical texts are tools by which we can wonder and ponder. Descartes, for instance, recommended one consider the first part of the Meditations for a year before reading on.
We compared the Meno to the Phaedrus, and we are still left with questions about the role of the cidcadas. Professor Griffith suggests that the myth of the cicadas is to bridge the transition from Socrates's soliloquy and the second dialogue about rhetoric. But we have yet to decide exactly what that means.
Posted by hourenk at May 6, 2005 06:51 PM