Topics Philosophers

Question After all that Plato said concerning the written transmission of philosophy, and his attempt to get around it using the dialogue form, why did a devoted student like Plotinus write treatises instead?

Accepted:
November 7, 2013

Comments

I'm not sure there is an answer to this question. Certainly you don't want to presuppose too much about one theory or another of Plato's dialogue form. In antiquity there were many philosophers before and after Plato who wrote dialogues, whether in order to be consistent Platonists or for another reason.

But let's assume that the dialogue form is justified and accounted for by the passage in Plato's Phaedrus about the problems with writing. (A big assumption; not an assumption I would make. But it seems to be your assumption, so I'm accepting it for the sake of argument.) In that passage Socrates says that serious philosophers won't write their ideas down in a way that leaves them vulnerable to attack and misunderstanding, but at most will write "reminders" to themselves about what they think. The dialogue might then be seen as such a reminder.

But already we run into a problem. What's to say that the writings of Plotinus are not reminders as well? Why call them by the anachronistic name of "treatises"? His student Porphyry wrote a Life of Plotinus in which he speaks of regular meetings among Plotinus and other philosophers, whom we may think of (mostly) as his students. They would discuss some topic in Plato or in philosophy generally, and then Plotinus would write down his thoughts about what they had said in their discussion. That sounds to me like writing down "reminders." Plotinus did not attempt to lay out a world view in any systematic way, but appreciated the insights that came to him when discussing Plato's works; and he wanted to keep some record in case he (or someone else) ever wanted to come back and think along those same lines.

In a word: There are many ways of writing philosophical reminders. The dialogue form as Plato perfected it might be one (although, as I said, it might have other purposes as well). In no sense does Plato say it's the only way to remind yourself of philosophy.

Question After all that Plato said concerning the written transmission of philosophy, and his attempt to get around it using the dialogue form, why did a devoted student like Plotinus write treatises instead? Accepted:November 7, 2013

Question After all that Plato said concerning the written transmission of philosophy, and his attempt to get around it using the dialogue form, why did a devoted student like Plotinus write treatises instead?

Accepted:
November 7, 2013