Abstract

This is part one of an examination of Plato's Method of Collection and Division, a method which Plato describes in the later dialogues as the method of dialectic. Included are chapters on the Phaedrus, Sophist and Statesman as well as a separate survey of the passages in those dialogues in which the method is mentioned. Questions concerning the requirements for making a collection or a division and the connection between collections and division are addressed. Also included is discussion of the connection between collections and divisions and true forms. ;An interpretation of the Phaedrus is offered that sees the method of collection and division as playing a major role in the dialogue. It is shown that the structure and unity of the Phaedrus are intricately connected with the points Plato is making about the method. ;The actual collections and divisions that are made in the Sophist and Statesman are examined with an eye towards formulating a view of the sophisticated version of the method that Plato is offering. It is suggested that this sophisticated view is possible only after the discussion of not-being in the Sophist, and even then there are some conflicts in the requirements of the theory. A glance ahead at one dialogue which is not covered in this study, the Philebus, indicates how Plato might resolve some of the conflicts in his requirements for the theory. The suggestion is that there is much more to be learned about the theory from the Philebus and other late dialogues. ;It is clear from this study that a complete understanding of the Method of Collection and Division is necessary for a complete understanding of Plato's metaphysics in general. This study points towards the questions that the second part of this examination must answer