Table Of ContentPlatonic Patterns
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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)
