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It was Socrates that argued against literacy and Plato who wrote it down. "Nothing that has ever been written whether in verse or prose merits much serious att
by lotsofmangos 12y ago
It was Socrates that argued against literacy and Plato who wrote it down.
"Nothing that has ever been written whether in verse or prose merits much serious attention."
I also think that Plato writing it down was one of the earliest post-modern jokes.
- kps 12y agoI've always thought of this Socrates as a character in Plato's works inspired by the person, with the degree of fidelity unknown.
- lotsofmangos 12y agoThat is a reasonable interpretation, especially since Plato was not present in the dialogue between Phaedrus and Socrates, so the whole thing is either fiction or a dramatised retelling. However, this lends credence to the idea that Plato was being partly humorous about his own work, when he wrote down the section dealing with writing.