9 February 1983

Abstract

[…]* I WOULD NOW LIKE to talk to you about several texts from Plato’s letters, or letters attributed to Plato. They are interesting because they are documents which attest, if not to the real role of philosophers of the Platonic school in Greek political life, at least to the way in which they thought about this possible intervention, and of how they wanted to be recognized as playing the role of those who state the truth in the field of Greek politics. You know that Plato’s letters are extremely controversial texts which were brought together fairly late in Antiquity, at a time when collections of fictional or real letters was an important genre. For some time, almost throughout the nineteenth century, harsh criticism denied the authenticity of these letters. It is now generally accepted that letter VI, the great letter VII, and also letter VIII are genuine letters, or at any rate come from circles very close to Plato himself, whereas others are certainly much later and were not written by Plato or his immediate circle. The set of letters is interesting nevertheless, inasmuch as all of them are texts which come from Platonist circles and they show how the Academy—either while Plato was alive or after his death—thought that philosophical activity could be a source not merely of reflection on politics but, I would say, of political reflection and intervention.

Plato’s Letters: the context.∽Study of Letter V: the phōnē of constitutions; reasons for non-involvement.∽ Study of Letter VII.∽Dion’s history.∽Plato’s political autobiography.∽The journey to Sicily.∽Why Plato accepts: kairos; philia; ergon.