Moses, Isis and Hermes chatting face-to-face (before lockdown)
Philosophy Café | 10.30 am | Sunday 24 Oct | online via zoom link
Melbourne might be finally easing out of lock-down, but still larger gatherings of philosophers are discouraged.
Our online Philosophy Café is an opportunity for broader discussion than what tends to unfold in class. Current and past students are welcome, as are other folks interested in Plato and philosophy. So we hope to see you Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and maybe some philosophical questions you’ve been pondering.
Join us from 10.30 am on Sunday 24 Oct, via this zoom link. (Nice to let us know you’re coming | Dial-in details available on request)
The Last Judgment by Giotto (1306) Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy
For Plato, scientific discourse (logos) is all about making arguments that can be found to be true or false either by reference to experience (empirical science) or otherwise by reference to the formal nature of things (the formal sciences). These days we would say that physicists and mathematicians make and defend “falsifiable” hypotheses.
But what about discourse that can’t be falsified? Well, that’s where we come to good old fashioned storytelling. In The Republic, Plato rejects traditional literary education based on the myths of gods and heroes, not so much because they aren’t true, but more because these stories don’t promote good psycho-social health. To serve this purpose in his ideal republic, Plato proposes the development of a new mythology.
These new morality tales would include stories about the soul’s afterlife that could help overcome fear of death for those who have led a just life but to exacerbate fear for those who have not. Samples of such inventions that appear in Plato’s Socratic dialogues bear a striking resemblance to the myths of the afterlife that subsequently made their way into the folklore of Christianity and that then became the prime motive of popular Christian morality. One of these stories is told by Plato’s ideal man, Socrates, just before taking the poisonous hemlock, to “enchant” himself as he says, as though a lullaby for the dying.
Join us at the Melbourne Existentialist Society (zoom, 2pm, Sat, 2 Oct) where we consider the extent to which the success of Christianity is based on a Platonic propaganda strategy in which the inherent fear of death is manipulated to effect social control.
Moses, Isis and Hermes chatting face-to-face (before lockdown)
While this Melbourne lockdown is dragging on and on and on…, we thought to catch-up for a casual philosophy chat. Join us on this zoom link for morning coffee on Sunday (12Sept21) from 10.30 am (Melb time).
This is an opportunity for broader discussion than what tends to unfold in class. Current and past students are welcome, as are other folks interested in Plato and philosophy. (Nice to let us know you’re coming | Dial-in details available on request)
So we hope to see you Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and maybe some philosophical questions you’ve been pondering.
Also note that there is currently only one class scheduled for the Twilight term (starting 26 Oct 21), and so this might bookout early. For details about “Ancient Greek Language and the First Philosophers” see the listing on the Courses page.
