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Hunting Plato's agalmata
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posted on 2016-04-14, 00:00 authored by Matthew SharpeIn this essay I argue that to understand Plato's philosophy, we must understand why Plato presented this philosophy as dialogues: namely, works of literature. Plato's writing of philosophy corresponds to his understanding of philosophy as a transformative way of life, which must nevertheless present itself politically, to different types of people. As a model, I examine Lacan's famous reading of Plato's Symposium in his seminar of transference love in psychoanalysis. Unlike many other readings, Lacan focuses on Alcibiades' famous description of what caused his desire for Socrates: the supposition that beneath Socrates' Silenus-like language and appearance, there were agalmata, treasures, hidden in his belly. I argue that this image of Socrates can also stand as an image for how we ought to read and to teach Plato's philosophy: as harbouring different levels of insight, couched in Plato's philosophy as literature.
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Title of book
Philosophy as a literary art: making things upVolume
14Chapter number
3Pagination
25 - 37Publisher
RoutledgePlace of publication
Abingdon, Eng.ISBN-13
9781317647089Language
engPublication classification
B Book chapter; B1 Book chapterCopyright notice
2016, the AuthorExtent
9Editor/Contributor(s)
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