CHAPTER VIII.

Platonic Compositions Generally.

Variety and abundance visible in Plato's writings 342

Plato both sceptical and dogmatical _ib._

Poetical vein predominant in some compositions, but not in all 343

Form of dialogue--universal to this extent, that Plato never speaks in his own name 344

No one common characteristic pervading all Plato's works _ib._

The real Plato was not merely a writer of dialogues, but also lecturer and president of a school. In this last important function he is scarcely at all known to us. Notes of his lectures taken by Aristotle 346

Plato's lectures De Bono obscure and transcendental. Effect which they produced on the auditors 347

They were delivered to miscellaneous auditors. They coincide mainly with what Aristotle states about the Platonic Ideas 348

The lectures De Bono may perhaps have been more transcendental than Plato's other lectures 349

Plato's Epistles--in them only he speaks in his own person _ib._

Intentional obscurity of his Epistles in reference to philosophical doctrine 350

Letters of Plato to Dionysius II. about philosophy. His anxiety to confine philosophy to discussion among select and prepared minds 351

He refuses to furnish any written, authoritative exposition of his own philosophical doctrine 352

He illustrates his doctrine by the successive stages of geometrical teaching. Difficulty to avoid the creeping in of error at each of these stages 353

No written exposition can keep clear of these chances of error 355

Relations of Plato with Dionysius II. and the friends of the deceased Dion. Pretensions of Dionysius to understand and expound Plato's doctrines _ib._

Impossibility of teaching by written exposition assumed by Plato; the assumption intelligible in his day 357

Standard by which Plato tested the efficacy of the expository process.--Power of sustaining a Sokratic cross-examination 358

Plato never published any of the lectures which he delivered at the Academy _ib._

Plato would never publish his philosophical opinions in his own name; but he may have published them in the dialogues under the name of others 360

Groups into which the dialogues admit of being thrown 361

Distribution made by Thrasyllus defective, but still useful--Dialogues of Search, Dialogues of Exposition _ib._

Dialogues of Exposition--present affirmative result. Dialogues of Search are wanting in that attribute 362

The distribution coincides mainly with that of Aristotle--Dialectic, Demonstrative 363

Classification of Thrasyllus in its details. He applies his own principles erroneously 364

The classification, as it would stand, if his principles were applied correctly 365

Preponderance of the searching and testing dialogues over the expository and dogmatical 366

Dialogues of Search--sub-classes among them recognised by Thrasyllus--Gymnastic and Agonistic, &c. _ib._

Philosophy, as now understood, includes authoritative teaching, positive results, direct proofs _ib._

The Platonic Dialogues of Search disclaim authority and teaching--assume truth to be unknown to all alike--follow a process devious as well as fruitless 367

The questioner has no predetermined course, but follows the lead given by the respondent in his answers _ib._

Relation of teacher and learner. Appeal to authority is suppressed 368

In the modern world the search for truth is put out of sight. Every writer or talker professes to have already found it, and to proclaim it to others 369

The search for truth by various interlocutors was a recognised process in the Sokratic age. Acute negative Dialectic of Sokrates 370

Negative procedure supposed to be represented by the Sophists and the Megarici; discouraged and censured by historians of philosophy 371

Vocation of Sokrates and Plato for the negative procedure: absolute necessity of it as a condition of reasoned truth. Parmenidês of Plato 372

Sokrates considered the negative procedure to be valuable by itself, and separately. His theory of the natural state of the human mind; not ignorance, but false persuasion of knowledge 373

Declaration of Sokrates in the Apology; his constant mission to make war against the false persuasion of knowledge 374

Opposition of feeling between Sokrates and the Dikasts 375

The Dialogues of Search present an end in themselves. Mistake of supposing that Plato had in his mind an ulterior affirmative end, not declared _ib._

False persuasion of knowledge--had reference to topics social, political, ethical 376

To those topics, on which each community possesses established dogmas, laws, customs, sentiments, consecrated and traditional, peculiar to itself. The local creed, which is never formally proclaimed or taught, but is enforced unconsciously by every one upon every one else. Omnipotence of King Nomos 377

Small minority of exceptional individual minds, who do not yield to the established orthodoxy, but insist on exercising their own judgment 382

Early appearance of a few free-judging individuals, or free-thinkers in Greece 384

Rise of Dialectic--Effect of the Drama and the Dikastery 386

Application of Negative scrutiny to ethical and social topics by Sokrates _ib._

Emphatic assertion by Sokrates of the right of satisfaction for his own individual reason 386

Aversion of the Athenian public to the negative procedure of Sokrates. Mistake of supposing that that negative procedure belongs peculiarly to the Sophists and the Megarici 387

The same charges which the historians of philosophy bring against the Sophists were brought by contemporary Athenians against Sokrates. They represent the standing dislike of free inquiry, usual with an orthodox public 388

Aversion towards Sokrates aggravated by his extreme publicity of speech. His declaration, that false persuasion of knowledge is universal; must be understood as a basis in appreciating Plato's Dialogues of Search 393

Result called _Knowledge_, which Plato aspires to. Power of going through a Sokratic cross-examination; not attainable except through the Platonic process and method 396

Platonic process adapted to Platonic topics--man and society 397

Plato does not provide solutions for the difficulties which he has raised. The affirmative and negative veins are in him completely distinct. His dogmas are enunciations _à priori_ of some impressive sentiment 399

Hypothesis--that Plato had solved all his own difficulties for himself; but that he communicated the solution only to a few select auditors in oral lectures--Untenable 401

Characteristic of the oral lectures--that they were delivered in Plato's own name. In what other respects they departed from the dialogues, we cannot say 402

Apart from any result, Plato has an interest in the process of search and debate _per se_. Protracted enquiry is a valuable privilege, not a tiresome obligation 403

Plato has done more than any one else to make the process of enquiry interesting to others, as it was to himself 405

Process of generalisation always kept in view and illustrated throughout the Platonic Dialogues of Search--general terms and propositions made subjects of conscious analysis 406

The Dialogues must be reviewed as distinct compositions by the same author, illustrating each other, but without assignable inter-dependence 407

Order of the Dialogues, chosen for bringing them under separate review. Apology will come first; Timæus, Kritias, Leges, Epinomis last _ib._

Kriton and Euthyphron come immediately after Apology. The intermediate dialogues present no convincing grounds for any determinate order 408