A little explaining first; I was reading Plato's Cave Anology a few days ago, or possibly its proper title- 'Illusion & Reality'...either way, we know what i'm talking about, and brilliant as it is, and it struck me to write the following where all that is given is the utterances of the sidekick in the mentioned dialogue, and the philosopher's utterances ommitted. So without further ado
The Straight Man & the Platonic Dialogue
'I see.'
'An odd picture and an odd sort of prisoner.'
'How could they see anything else if they were prevented from moving their heads all their lives?'
'Of course not.'
'Inevitably.'
'They would be bound to think so.'
'Yes, inevitably.'
'Much more real.'
'Yes.'
'Certainly not at first.'
'Of course.'
'That must come last.'
'That is the conclusion he would obviously reach.'
'Very much so.'
'Yes, he would prefer anything to a life like theirs.'
'Certainly.'
'They certainly would.'
That is no more and no less than the straight-man says in the dialogue. My knowledge of Plato doesn't stretch far beyond the above but I would be very disappointed if, in delving deeper into Plato's writings, this fascinating character fails to reappear in all his colourful glory.
More on this theme here
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment