Unanswered Questions
54 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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Did Plato notice that there could be an arbitrary number of nested caves?
I guess everyone knows Plato's allegory of the cave. He assumes people are in caves and then, he suggests that there is a possibility of "going out of the caves", gaining several nice properties with ...
4
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0
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304
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Plato's Parmenides conclusion
Reading this http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-parmenides/ and at the end it says that Plato rescues the existence of forms and shows "that Purity-F, Uniqueness, and No Causation by Contraries ...
3
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213
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Why are there 8 Deductions, and not 6, in Plato's Parmenides?
In Plato's Parmenides, we have the 8 Deductions that go something like this (this applies, as best as I can see, to both the standard and non-standard models that the SEoP describes. All this is ...
3
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92
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What is the ontological status of Plato's Demiurge?
I've done some searching and have found that he (it?) is the anthropomorphization of the deliberate Intellect's intent (SEP: Plato's Timaeus). I understand that he is neither an idea nor an idea's ...
2
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0
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38
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Axiomatic and formal establishment of Plato's dialectics
After years of studying Plato I have seen some attempts to formalize somehow Plato's dialectics. To be more precise, I have found writers who present Plato's dialectics (especially as it is presented ...
2
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In a Platonic utilitarianism, would the only commandment be, "Contemplate the Form of Happiness"?
Suppose that the Form of Happiness were the most happiness-bringing entity possible, i.e. that Platonic contemplation of this Form would cause the greatest happiness possible for any entity (including ...
2
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46
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Friendships towards humans vs. things and animals in Plato's Lysis
In Plato's Lysis, Socrates and Menexenus argue if friendship must be reciprocal:
S: Then this notion is not in accordance with our previous one. We were saying that both were friends, if one only ...
2
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395
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In Plato's Symposium, why is Diotima a woman?
Excuse the odd title - what I mean is: Diotima is the sole woman that has her say in Plato's dialogues. There are a multitude of opportunities in which he could've let a woman speak, but it never ...
2
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179
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What is the distinction between Ancient Philosophy and Religion?
I'm currently reading Pierre Hadot book What is "Ancient Philosophy?" (Qu'est-ce que la philosophie antique?) and as I reach the third part of the book i can't stop thinking about, how ...
2
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60
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Mathematical style and ethical fictionalism
The SEP article on mathematical style got me thinking: what is the relationship between mathematical style, mathematical fictionalism, and ethical style/fictionalism? There seem to be at least three ...
2
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40
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What arguments does Plato's Lysis put forth from 216 to 223?
I don't understand this part. He seems to go back and forth on whether they support one another and whether they are actually successful. Some serious clarification is needed.
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What did Aristotle and Plato think of each other?
Since Plato was a teacher of Aristotle and was living until Aristotle was 36 years old I was wondering of what kind of opinion Aristotle had of Plato's personality and work and vice versa
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73
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Do you know of a book on Greek philosophy with a Corinthian helmet on the cover?
I read it years ago, and it seems I have lost it. The biggest thing I can remember is that it had a Corinthian helmet on the front cover. Also that it was translated by multiple authors and it had ...
2
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41
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Where might I find the Socratic dialogue on the mythical story of private property/homesteading?
I read a great story awhile back about a group of philosophers who approached Socrates with a question regarding the rights of private property and if a man could rightly own land on a world that ...
2
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Plato's Phaedo : Why does the soul stay separate from the body?
In Plato's Phaedo, Socrates established that death is the separation of soul and body. But he did not give any clue for this separation. What are the factors that lead to this separation? Physical ...