Platonic Patterns This page has been intentionally left blank. Platonic Patterns A Collection of Studies by Holger Thesleff Las Vegas | Zurich | Athens PARMENIDES PUBLISHING Las Vegas | Zurich | Athens © 2009 Parmenides Publishing All rights reserved. The seven works in this collection, three books and four articles, were originally published as follows: 1. Studies in the Styles of Plato (Acta philosophica Fennica 20), Societas Philosophica Fennica, Helsinki: 1967 2. Studies in Platonic Chronology (Commentationes Humanarum Litterarum 70), Societas Scientiarum Fennica, Helsinki: 1982 3. Studies in Plato’s Two-Level Model (Commentationes Humanarum Litterarum 113), Societas Scientiarum Fennica, Helsinki: 1999 4. “Theaitetos and Theodoros,” ARCTOS, Acta Philologica Fennica XXIV (1990), 147–159 5. “The Early Version of Plato’s Republic,” ARCTOS, Acta Philologica Fennica XXXI (1997), 149-174 6. “Plato and His Public,” NOCTES ATTICAE: Studies Presented to Jørgen Mejer on his Sixtieth Birth- day March 18, 2002, Museum Tusculanum Press, University of Copenhagen (2002), 289-301 7. “A Symptomatic Text Corruption: Plato, Gorgias 448a5,” ARCTOS, Acta Philologica Fennica XXXVII (2003), 251–257 This Collected Edition, with a new Introduction and Revisions, published in 2009 by Parmenides Publishing in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-930972-29-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thesleff, Holger. [Selections. 2009] Platonic patterns : collection of studies by Holger Thesleff / Holger Thesleff. p. cm. ISBN 978-1-930972-29-2 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Plato. I. Title.. B395.T488 2009 184—dc22 2008056059 The Publisher would like to thank Professor Ilkka Niiniluoto of the Societas Philosophica Fennica, Professor Carl G. Gahmberg of the Societas Scientarum Fennica, Professor Olli Salomies of the Classical Association of Finland (Acta Philologica Fennica), and Dr. Birgitte Holten of the Museum Tusculanum Press for their kind permission to reprint the present works in this collection. Typeset in Palatino and OdysseaUBSU (Greek) by 1106 Design Printed by Transcontinental Printing in Canada 1-888-PARMENIDES www.parmenides.com CONTENTS Note to the Reader xi Introduction xiii STUDIES IN THE STYLES OF PLATO 1 Preface 3 Abbreviations 5 Introduction 7 Plato and style (7)—Stylometry (7)—Other studies of Plato’s style (9)—The present task (10)—Notes on chronology and authenticity (10)—General obser- vations on style and styles. Remarks on methods (21) Technique of Composition and Dialogue Structure 27 General observations 27 A. Question and reply 29 Origins (29)—Function (30)—Technique: Variation of formulae of reply (31)—Variation by means of expansion (31)—Change of dialogue partner (32)—Deliberate restriction (33) B. Discussion and conversation 33 Origins (34)—Function (34)—Technique: The relation of B sections to A (D) (and E) sections (35)—Several persons joining in the conversation (36) C. Reported dialogue 36 Origins (37)—Function (38)—Technique: Type C in relation to A and B (39)—Indirect report of replies (40)—Formulae of the type ‘said I,’ ‘said he’ (40)—Frame dialogue and report (40) D. Dialogue approximating to monologue 41 Origins (41)—Function (42)—Technique: Relation of D to A, B, and E (43)—Stages of development (44) E. Monologue and continuous exposition 44 Origins (45)—Function (46)—Technique (49) vi Contents Style Markers and Classes of Style 51 General observations (51)—Colloquial style (51)—Semi-literary conversational style (53)—Rhetorical style (54)—Pathetic (‘affected’) style (56)—Intellectual style (57)—Mythic narrative style (60)—Historical style (61)—Ceremonious style (61)—Legal style (62)—Onkos style (63) Lists of style markers 65 Stylistic Analyses 83 Analysis of the Republic 83 Conclusions regarding R. 95 Stylistic conspectus of the rest of the authentic works 98 Hippias Minor (99)—Ion (99)—Laches (99)—Crito (100)—Apologia (101)— Menexenus (101)—Gorgias (101)—Meno (103)—Euthyphro (105)—Cratylus (105)—Lysis (106)—Charmides (107)—Protagoras (108)—Euthydemus (109)— Phaedo (111)—Symposium (113)—Parmenides (115)—Theaetetus (116)— Phaedrus (118)—Timaeus (119)—Critias (120)—Sophistes (121)—Politicus (122)—Philebus (123)—Epistula 7 (124)—Leges (125)—Epinomis (127) Notes on the dubia and spuria 128 Conclusions 131 Observations on the relation of style to the formal structure of the dialogues (131)—Observations on the function of style for characterization of the speak- ers (132)—Observations on the relation of style to the contents (135)—Obser- vations on the rise of Plato’s so-called “late style” (139)—Various concluding observations (141) STUDIES IN PLATONIC CHRONOLOGY 143 Preface 145 PART I 147 The ‘Platonic Question’ 147 Introductory notes (147)—Some trends (148)—Conspectus of chronologies suggested (153) Critical Comments 165 Preliminary remarks 165 External criteria: Biographical problems relating to Plato’s youth (167)—The Megarian hypothesis (172)—The Corinthian war (173)—The first voyage outside Greece (174)—Theory of Parmentier (177)—Allusions by Plato to his contemporaries, and vice versa (177)—The pamphlet of Polycrates (177)—The Academy (178)—Plato and Isocrates (180)—Plato and Xeno- phon (180)—Plato and Aeschines of Sphettus (181)—Plato and Antisthenes (181)—Plato and Comedy (181)—Other contemporary persons (182)— The second voyage to Sicily (183)—The third voyage to Sicily (183)— Contents vii Various references to contemporary events in Plato’s works (183)—Plato and Aristotle (184)—Death of Plato (184) References from one Platonic work to another 185 Ancient testimony regarding the publication of Plato’s writings 185 Arguments from the contents 186 Literary criteria; dialogue technique 199 Linguistic criteria; ‘stylometry’ 213 Test I (220)—Test II (222)—Test III (226) Revision 230 Problems of authenticity 235 PART II 245 A New Model 245 The 390s 249 The problem of the ‘early Republic’ 250 Introductory (250)—The ‘Proto-Republic’ (251)—The separation of Republic I (256) The Apology 259 Additional considerations; Isocrates XIII 262 The Reported Dialogues and Gorgias, Menexenus and Theaetetus 265 General arguments for establishing a hypothetical order 265 Further arguments; introductory notes on the method 273 Gorgias (274)—Menexenus (276)—Protagoras (276)—Symposium (283)—The Respublica Rediviva (285)—Phaedo (288)—Euthydemus (292)—Lysis (295)— Charmides (298)—Theaetetus (300)—Parmenides (304) The Rise of the Dramatic Dialogue 309 Introductory (309)—Gorgias (309)—Meno (310)—Cratylus (314)—Phaedrus (317)—The adding of dramatic frame dialogues (326) Plato’s ‘Late Period’ 331 Introductory (331)—The completing of the Republic (331)—The early portions of the Laws (333)—Theaetetus and Parmenides (334)—Timaeus and Critias (335)— The Sophist and Politicus (339)—Philebus (344)—The Seventh Letter (346)—‘On the Good’ (347)—The completing of the Laws (348)—Epinomis (349) Dubia and Spuria and Semi-authenticity 351 Introductory (351)—Clitopho (352)—Crito (355)—Laches (357)—The First Alcibiades (361)—Theages (364)—Amatores (365)—Eryxias (366)—Hippias Minor (366)—Ion (367)—Euthyphro (369)—Hippias Major (372)—Hipparchus (374)—Minos (375)—Sisyphus (375)—Demodocus (376)—De Virtute and De Justo viii Contents (376)—Definitiones (377)—The Second Alcibiades (377)—Halcyon (378)—Axiochus (378)—Letters (378) A Concluding Chronological Sketch 381 STUDIES IN PLATO’S TWO-LEVEL MODEL 383 Preface 385 Introductory Remarks 387 Problems (387)—The present approach (391)—Who Speaks for Plato? (392) General Notes On Contrasts 393 Generally human and Greek attitudes (393)—Two-level contrasts (395) Pairs of Asymmetric Contrasts 397 Not two worlds 397 Compare ‘divine / human’ 398 Ten illustrative pairs in the ‘earlier’ dialogues 399 Divine / human (400)—Soul / body (401)—Leading / being led (402)—Truth / appearance (403)—Knowledge / opinion (404)—Intellect / senses (405)—Defined / undefined (407)—Stability / change (407)— One / many (408)—Same / different (409) Two Levels 411 Other examples 411 Two levels—and a third? 411 The two principal levels and their background in Greek thought 413 Characteristics of this vision 414 Orientation (414)—Eros (415)—The Divided Line (416)—A philosopher’s vision (416)—Bridging the contrasts (417) Examples of the function of the model 418 Protagoras (419)—Charmides (420)—The First Alcibiades (422)—Apology (423)—Hippias Minor (423)—The early Utopia (424)—Some general arguments (425) On Polar Opposites in Plato 427 Opposites and two-level contrasts 427 Examples: Gorgias (427)—Republic I (429)—Lysis (431)—Euthydemus (432) Phaedo 433 Opposites (433)—Forms and opposites (434) Contents ix On Ideas and Forms 437 The secondary status of the theory of Forms 437 Notes on the terminology 438 Forms in general 439 Pre-Platonic background (439)—‘Shape’ rather than ‘class’ (440) Ideas 441 Ideas as values (441)—Examples of Ideas of the (cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5) type (442)—Presence, participation (443)—(cid:6)(cid:7) (cid:8)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:5)(cid:10) and the two levels (444)—Ideas ‘as such’ and as the focus of orientation (445) Notes on the interrelationship of the levels 446 Neutral and negative Ideas and Forms 447 Forms treated as Ideas (447)—Artifacts (447)—Ideas or Forms for opposites? (448)—A unique Idea versus innumerable Forms (450) Forms as ‘types’ or ‘kinds’ 450 ‘Kinds’ in arts and crafts (451)—Forms as ‘kinds’ in two-way dialectic (451)—‘Kinds’ gradually more common? (452) Retrospect and partial conclusions 452 Ideas, Forms as concepts, Forms as kinds (452)—The Divided Line and Ideas, Forms, and Phenomena (453)—Few and unique Ideas (455) Forms and Categories 457 The impact of younger associates 457 The interrelation of Ideas and Kinds 457 Parmenides and new perspectives (457)—Two-level categories in the Sophist (460)—Categories versus Ideas and Forms (462)—Politicus (463) Categories and the Soul 464 Theaetetus (464)—Phaedrus (464)—The World Soul in Timaeus and Laws X (465)—Human soul in Timaeus (467)—Anamnesis (467) Categories elsewhere 469 Cratylus and Republic IV (469)—Philebus and (cid:11)(cid:12)(cid:13)(cid:2)(cid:14) / (cid:15)(cid:11)(cid:16)(cid:17)(cid:13)(cid:18)(cid:10) (470) Concluding remarks on Categories 471 Forms, Categories, First Principles 473 The Principles as Categories 473 An authentically Platonic theory? (473)—Notes on the sources (475)— The Principles and the two levels (476)—Principles and Categories (476)—Principles and Ideal Numbers (478)—Principles and Ideas (480)— A reduction of the Categories to mathematical concepts (481) Principles as Causes? 483 The relation of the First Principles to Categories, Forms, and Ideas 483 The status and chronology of the theory 485 ‘On the Good’ (485)—A late and tentative theory (486)—An episode? (488)