9 March 1983

Abstract

TODAY IS THE LAST session. My project was first of all to finish what I was saying to you about the parrhesiast philosopher in Plato. I have tried to examine profiles of this parrhesiast philosopher, first in the Letters VII and VIII, and then in the Phaedrus. Today I would like to do the same with regard to the Gorgias, which brings out, I think, a third aspect of the parrhesiastic function of philosophy. And then, of course, I was meaning and still mean to conclude. Only, you know me, I was likely to drag on indefinitely and not come to a conclusion. So I was wondering if we should not begin by concluding, before moving on to this third part, this third aspect, this third profile of the parrhesiast philosopher. I was hesitating about this when the photocopying [ser­vice] informed me that there was a problem and the text I wanted to distribute [from the Gorgias] would not be ready before ten at the earliest, if you will be able to have it at all. Consequently the order of things has determined the series of my statements. So there’s no alter­native but to begin by concluding. You will make a note of this, if you will, in a small corner of your mind, and then, in the second hour, I will come back once again to a certain aspect of philosophical parrēsia that I would nonetheless like to emphasize because it has its place in the table I would like to draw up. So forgive this inversion of chronologies and logics. So, to start with, let’s conclude.

The historical turnaround of parrēsia: from the political game to the philosophical game. ~ Philosophy as practice of parrēsia: the example of Aristippus. ~ The philosophical life as manifestation of the truth. ~The permanent address to power. ~ The interpellation of each. ~ Portrait of the Cynic in Epictetus. ~Pericles and Socrates. ~ Modern philosophy and courage of the truth.