4 ms·

Thanks for this reference (dialog Phaedrus, 274e-275b). This quotes Socrates telling a story about an Egyptian king telling the inventor of writing that he's no

Thanks for this reference (dialog Phaedrus, 274e-275b). This quotes Socrates telling a story about an Egyptian king telling the inventor of writing that he's not the best judge of its ultimate usefulness. Ironically, Plato was a writer and disseminated his thoughts by writing, which is how we have them.

delluminatus 13y ago
Interestingly, Plato had significant reservations toward writing, and writing philosophy in particular. He believed (as common among the ancient Greeks) that philosophical truths emerged and were understood only through a spoken dialectic. This probably accounts for his books' unusual format. I have seen one particularly amusing quote where Plato basically says that he would never write down philosophy. But I forget the exact wording and I can't find the quote now.