Abstract

Given the history between us, it appears that any serious interpretation of Plato’s philosophy must now be prepared to answer questions such as: Which characters speak for Plato? When are their words really his? Did Plato’s philosophy develop as he grew older in years? And, of course, Why did Plato write dialogues? If one perseveres long enough, a question that has caused many lengthy and passionate responses cannot be avoided: Was Plato a Platonist? It seems as if all interpretations of his dialogues offer answers to these questions, even when that answering is attempted through a demonstration of the absurdity of a question. Any rendering of what Plato meant to say, or do, will necessarily proceed according to certain principles by which one deciphers his voice from the cacophony found in the dialogues, none of which were named after their “author.” Aware of this situation, when “philosophers” claim to know what Plato thought or taught, we can ask them such questions in order to expose the assumptions brought to their readings. This is precisely what Drew Hyland does in his latest book.