Plato's Introduction of Forms

362 Pages·2004·1.8 MB·english

by  R. M. Dancy

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PLATO’S INTRODUCTION OF FORMS
ScholarsofPlatoaredividedbetweenthosewhoemphasizetheliter-
atureofthedialoguesandthosewhoemphasizetheargumentofthe
dialogues,andbetweenthosewhoseeadevelopmentinthethought
ofthedialoguesandthosewhodonot.Inthisimportantbook,Russell
Dancy focuses on the arguments and defends a developmental pic-
ture.HeexplainstheTheoryofFormsofthePhaedoandSymposium
asanoutgrowthofthequestfordefinitionscanvasedintheSocratic
dialogues, by constructing a Theory of Definition for the Socratic
dialogues based on the refutations of definitions in those dialogues,
and showing how that theory is mirrored in the Theory of Forms.
Hisdiscussion,notableforbothitsclarityanditsmeticulousschol-
arship, ranges in detail over a number of Plato’s early and middle
dialogues, and will be of interest to readers in Plato studies and in
ancientphilosophymoregenerally.
r. m. dancy isProfessorofPhilosophyatFloridaStateUniversity.
HeistheauthorofSenseandContradiction:AStudyinAristotle(1975)
andTwoStudiesintheEarlyAcademy(1991),andeditorofKantand
Critique(1993).

PLATO’S INTRODUCTION
OF FORMS
R. M. DANCY
FloridaStateUniversity,Tallahassee
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First published in print format 2004
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Contents
Preface page xi
Noteonthetext xii
Abbreviations xii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Thedialogues 4
1.2 ThegenesisoftheTheoryofForms:Aristotle’saccount 11
1.2.1 Formsanddefinitions:theArgumentfromFlux 14
1.2.2 TheArgumentfromRelativity:aforwardglanceatthe
dialogues 18
part i a socratic theory of definition
2 Socrates’demandfordefinitions 23
2.1 Preliminary:onthevocabularyfor“defining” 23
2.2 Definingandlivingright 26
2.2.1 Laches 26
2.2.2 Protagoras 28
2.2.3 Gorgias 29
2.2.4 Charmides 30
2.2.5 Euthyphro 31
2.2.6 HippiasMajor 31
2.2.7 Lysis 34
2.2.8 RepublicI 34
2.2.9 Theimportanceofdefinition 35
2.3 TheIntellectualistAssumption 35
2.3.1 Euthyphro 42
2.3.2 HippiasMajor 47
2.3.3 RepublicI 49
2.3.4 Laches 52
2.3.5 Protagoras 56
2.3.6 Charmides 57
vii
viii Contents
2.3.7 Lysis 61
2.3.8 Theallegedambiguityof“know” 64
3 Fixingthetopic 65
3.1 Existence,unity,causality,andPlatonism 65
3.2 ExistenceclaimsintheSocraticdialogues 68
3.2.1 Protagoras 68
3.2.2 Charmides 75
3.2.3 HippiasMajor 76
4 Socrates’requirements:substitutivity 80
4.1 ASocratictheoryofdefinition:preliminary 80
4.2 TheSubstitutivityRequirement 81
4.3 Necessaryandsufficientconditions 82
4.3.1 Laches 82
4.3.2 Charmides 92
4.3.3 Lysis 104
4.3.4 Euthyphro5c–6e 105
4.4 Leibniz’sLaw 107
4.4.1 Charmides169e–175b 107
4.4.2 Charmides165c–e 108
4.4.3 Charmides160d–161b 109
5 Socrates’requirements:paradigms 115
5.1 (cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:2)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:2)(cid:9)(cid:2):someexamples 116
5.2 Self-Predication 117
5.3 Genericallyabstractnounphrases 120
5.4 Euthyphro6e 123
5.5 Euthyphro6e–8a 124
6 Socrates’requirements:explanations 134
6.1 Explainingcontent 134
6.2 Euthyphro6de 137
6.3 Euthyphro9d–11b 137
7 Socrates’requirements:explainingbyparadigms 148
7.1 Protagoras330–331,332–333 150
7.2 Charmides160d–161b 151
7.3 Charmides164c–166b 151
7.4 HippiasMajor 156
7.4.1 HippiasMajor286c–287e 156
7.4.2 HippiasMajor287e–289d 158
7.4.3 HippiasMajor289d–291c 166
7.4.4 HippiasMajor291d–293c 167
7.4.5 HippiasMajor293c–294e 170