(February 14, 2024 at 11:27 am)The Grand Nudger Wrote: If we're looking at things like laozi or republic we're looking at what were most likely composite works aimed at a mid level bureaucrat or the ruler of a small state. We've since mythologized the characters and the times and that gives us a poor intuitive impression of the nature and use of the ideas contained therein. The people who would have been familiar with these works closer to their origins would have been semi literate and semi noble. There would be no systemic education programs in place and the breadth and depth of their knowledge from what amounted to private instruction would have been comparable to contemporary grade schoolers at best. Short version of a long story is that it's entirely likely that both works were trade school material.
I never said Plato got everything right. He was wrong as fuck... a lot! And I'm pretty sure I've pointed that out numerous times
But he was a hell of a lot better than folks who just assumed Poseidon provided them with bad trade winds because they said their incantations improperly at the outset of their village. You gotta give props to Plato (as wrong as he was) for proposing we be reasonable about these things and ask questions about what was really going on in cases likes these. You don't don't need an omniscient person to advance us beyond ignorance. A simple rational person with a good argument can get the job done too.
If I've ever overstated Plato's awesomeness, it's probably because he can write so well and many good points. He shouldn't be mythologized or exaggerated. But he deserves some credit. He clarified more things than he obscured.
