This is a chapter from my book Socrates – moral philosophy in everyday life “We said there were two treatments that might be used in the tending for any particular thing, whether body or soul: one, making pleasure the aim in our dealings with it; the other, working for what …
Read More »Wittgenstein and the ritual
“Only describe, don’t explain” Ludwig Wittgenstein Sir James George Frazer’s Golden Bough is an anthropological comparative study of mythologies and religions, in which he examines primitive peoples of Europe relating to mythologies from all over the world. In his text Remarks on Frazer’s Golden Bough, Wittgenstein turns against Frazer’s interpretation …
Read More »Use of myth in Plato’s Symposium
This is a chapter from my book, Socrates – moral philosophy in everyday life Symposium, part five – Agathon’s encomium and Socrates’ comments “To be in love is merely to be in a perpetual anesthesia – to mistake an ordinary young man for a Greek god or an ordinary young …
Read More »Socrates on death
This is a chapter from my book Socrates – moral philosophy in everyday life “What all of us deeply want is not to do something, but to be something.” A.E. Taylor, Plato – The man and his work When Socrates’ execution was certain and impending, and after he bid his …
Read More »Socrates, the laws and the power of the state
This is a chapter from my book, Socrates – moral philosophy in everyday life “Their teacher is a prisoner of himself, and the only act of ‘freedom’ he recognizes is embracing death. Will they succeed in convincing him to escape from himself?” Kostis Papagiorgis, Socrates – the lawgiver that kills …
Read More »The invention of Utopia and its self-confutation
“More must be looked upon rather as the last of the old than the first of the new” William Morris, foreword to ‘Utopia’ The presentation of a realistic depiction of an ideal world by Thomas More gave birth to a new literary genre, the “utopian”. Drawing from Plato’s Republic and …
Read More »Homosexuality in the Platonic myth
This is a chapter from my book Socrates – moral philosophy in everyday life Symposium, part four – Aristophanes’ encomium “To be perfect, you have to feel perfect about yourself – avoid trying to be something you’re not” Rick Riordan, The Lost Hero After the shallow and pseudoscientific speech by …
Read More »The deceitful fascination of daydreaming love
This is a chapter from my book Socrates – moral philosophy in everyday life Symposium, part three – Eryximachus’ encomium “A heart that loves stays young forever” Greek saying In Plato’s Symposium, one after one the symposiasts make a speech praising love. Pausanias (third in line) finishes his encomium having …
Read More »How to win any argument
We will try here to find techniques to help us win any disagreement we may find ourselves in and get out of a tight spot when we lack the knowledge or the ability to support our views, or to save face when we realize that our opponent is superior in …
Read More »Voltaire and the confrontation of religious extremism
One of the most read works of Voltaire is a short philosophical novel, Zadig or the Book of Fate. It describes Zadig as he wanders in the East, prey to destiny’s whims that intervene in his actions and rob him of his sought-after happiness. Mid way (in the chapter “The …
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