Enthusiasm and Divine Madness - On Platonic Dialogue Phaedrus

118 Pages·1962·1.47 MB·English

by  Josef Pieper

$'3.75
Josef Pieper
ENTHUSIASMA ND
DIVINEM ADNESS
Phaedrus
On the PlDaitaolnoigcu e
Platof'asm oudsi alogtuhee,P haedrwuass,
varioussulbyt itilnae ndt iqui"tOynB: e auty,"
"OnL ove,""O nt heP sycheI.t"i s a lscoo n­
cernewdi tthh ea rotf r hetoroiftc h,o ugahntd
communication.
Dr.P iepenro,t efdo rt heg racaen dc larity
ofh iss tylgei,v easn i lluminaatnidns gt imu­
latiinngt erpretoaftt ihoedn i alogLueea.v ing
them orer econdsictheo laprrleyo ccupations
asidhee,c oncentroantt ehse c ontenbtr,i ng­
ingt hea ctuasli tuatiinot nh ed ialog-ue
Athenasn di tisn teilecetnugaalgsei dns pirited
debat-ea livEeq.u allayl ivies t hed iscus­
sioonf i deawsh,i cha reb roughttob earo n
contemporeaxrpye riee anncd madteop rove
thep erennivaall idiotfy S ocratwiics dom,
andi tpso wert oe xcitthee m indT.h em ain
thes-ist hati np oetrayn di nl ovem an is
"besihdiem seltfh,a"it s d,i vineilnys pired­
isd iscussweidt hr eferetnocm eo dernp oets
andn oveliasntdsm ,o derpns ychology.
Thisi sa bookf ora ilt hose wwhios ht o
readP latwoi tuhn derstandpinlge,a suarned,
profit.
TranslabtyeR di chaarndd C larWai nsotn
A HELEN AND KURT WOLFF BOOK
HARCOURT, BRACE & WORLD, INC.
757T hirAdv enueN,e w York1 7,N .Y.
Pan WaltheGrD L, Miinster
Borni n1 904J,o sePfi epewra ss chooliend
theG reeckl assaincdts h ew ritionfgT sh omas
AquinaHse. alsos tudipehdi losoplhayw,,
ands ocioloagnydh, a sb eena membero ft he
faculattyt heU niversoiftM yU nstesri nce
1946D.r .P iephears l ectuwriedde laytA mer­
icanu niversiatnidei sn, 1 962t ravelteod
Indifao ra lecture Htiosbu oro.k hsa veb een
praisbeyd t heA mericasne culaasrw elals
Catholpirce ss.
Jackedte sigbny E lleRna skin
JOSEF PIEPER
EN THUSIASM
and
DIVI NE MAD NE SS
On theP latondiica logPuHeAE DR us
Translatefdr omt heG erman
by Richaradnd ClaraW inston
A Helena nd KurtW olff Book
HarcourBtr,a ce& WorldI,n c.
New York
© 196b2y K. iisel-VKeGr,lM aiingc hen
Englitsrha nsl©a 1t9i6ob4nyH arcouBrrta,&c eW orlIdn,c .,
andF abearn dF abeLri mited
Allr ighrtess erNvoep da.r otft hibso omka yb er eproduced
ina nyf onno rb ya nym echanmiecaanlins c,l udimnigm eograph
andt apree corwdietrh,op uetr misisniw orint ingf rotmh pe ublisher.
First edition
LibraorfCy o ngrCeastsa lCoagrN du mber6:4- 22761
Printine tdh eUni teSdt ateAsm eorifc a
Originally pinu Gbelrimsahneunydd er
theti tlBee geistuenrduG notgt licWh aehrns inn.
Acknowledgmiesmn atd ef opre rmisstioor ne priqnuto tations from
Hackforttrha'nss loaftP iloanto 's Phaedrus,
CambridUgnei verPsrietsys .
Ins omcea stehste ranslhaatdto orm sa kes ligchhta nges
in ordetroc onfomromr cel osweiltyh
ProfePsiseopre inrt'esrp retation.
TheA uthoarn dt heT ranslators
dedicatteh ibso okt ot hem emoryo f
KUR T WO L F F
�on tents
FOREWORD XI
I
The "ocfca hsatr acteCrosm.p"o niennt thaset mosphere
ofi ntellAetcehtnussa:ol p histdiectaatcehdme ennlti,g ht­
ene"dt echnfioqlrui ievnsg c,r"u dsee nsualSiotpyh.i s­
try":c ultdi rvaattieonal(iHzeagteiloP)ns."e udo-wis­
doma ndf alcsoen temporaSnuecictaeyssa. sc riotne.r i
The" modernoifSt oyc"r ahtiecsso :n ciersmn a nn,o nta -
tureM.y thitcaallae nsmd y tash s uc.h 3
II
Lysisapse'e ocnEh r olsu:sw ti tuhtlo oveP.l easaunrde
lootsael kM.i stroufps ats sioInn.c apafcoeirmt oyt ion
counterafspe riutdeedn cTeh.ef ascinwaittfihoo rnm al
sklil.M ysteriouso fsp arcersteerdna codeni .ti 17
Ill
Irony haimnpteerrsp retSaotciroafnti.ers ssp'te eucnh-:
maskibnygl itearcacle ptaTnhcee" .d aimosnzigcn".
Thel itgnhibnoglo tff orthlraingghuta g2e9.
IV
TheK ierkegaaRredviearnes vaolc:a otfit ohnea esthetic
leatdosr eligtirouutshT .h ep oweorfr ecantaantdi on
repenta"nLcoev.ae m onfgr emee n."T hee mergence
oft he imageosft heg odsT.h em asquergaodees
on. 37
v
Maniaas a divignief tM.a dnelsoss,os fa utonomous
self-pospassessiesoni,t ohnu,s Fioarsmmos.f" divmiande­
ness.F"i rsptr:o phetic ecsDtoadsoyn:ta h,De e lphi,
Sibyl. Sotfte hrehi ilsittoypr oiiconaftlv iew.E n­
thusitahskeme ,wy o rd.H owd oerse veltaatkipeol na ce?
Seco"ncda:t hamrantiiac."M adneass psr econdfiotri on
purifiacnadth ieoanl inFgr.e nzy, apnodie ntsrpyi,r a­
tionLe.s sinHgo,l derGloient,Bh een,n .W hoi s" the
poet"?4 7
VI
True pososfle iscfsaeinb oe nhad onlbyy b ei"nog uotf
onew'ist s.T"h ef ourftohro mfth e iam aniae:r oetmioc­
tionN.a tuarned de stionfyt hes oulI.m mortality.
Acquirwiinngg s".P ermeatthienw gh olceo smos."
Figuraltainvgeuas a agm ea nifesotfia nttieolnl heuc­tual
militPya.r abalnedm yth.T hef alolf t hes oul.
Yearnainndrg e collecStuiporne.mb eellyo avnedds u­
premetlryo ubbleianugt:y" .B eauitsny os to m ucphe r­
formaasn cper omi(sGeo"e the)T.he erotniatcu roef
philosophFiozrimansng d.d eformoifEt rioess. 6 g
VII
Howd oetsh iasc cowridto hu orw nv ieowft ruthU?l ti­
matpeo sitairosent sa keRde.a aln da ppardeinvte rgen­
czesE.r oasn da gape.T hep roximoifst pyi raintd
sensualDioteyus.n sellfoivesexh i st9?1
VIII
Thes ecopnadro tft hdei alogWuhea.mt a keass peech
"beautifDuole"ts?r utalhs hoa vnee eodf r hetoric?
Theg retaeta chdeonr ost w riteP.r ayfeor"r b eauty
within.97"
NOTES 105
Foreword
Ifw es houalsdkh istoroifpa hnisl ostoopn haym e the
fouorrf ivmeo sitm portwaonrtko sfP lattoh,ae n swers
wilblyn om eanbseu nanimTohuasit.sn atuernaolu gh.
Butth Peh aedirsfu asi crelry ttaobi eni n tlhiesiatrls o,n g
witthh Sey mpostiuhPmeo, l i*t aenitdah ,Pe h aedo.
TheP haedhrauss ah acdu rifoautsie nt hPel atonic
shcolarosfht ihppe a sth undryeeda. rA sccordtioon nge
histoorfpi hainl ostohpidihsay l,o gwuaes" upt ov errye ­
centtlhhyeo tdilsyup tdec entoefPr l atosncihco la.r"1s hip
Thei mmediactaeuo sfte h is disputet-hnqeau meesltyi,o n
oft hdei al'odsgau e-te-wilnlo t counsic net rhfneo llowing
pageBsu.tth qeu estiitoshnea lbsfe n e kindblyet dh ceo n­
tenatn dt hfeo romft hweo rkM.o reovtehrde,i spinu­te
volvae dsi ffereonffc aemr o rteh aan f ewy earosra
decaSdoem.ce r itfiocersx a,m pSlceh leieramnadUc shee­r
nerh,a vmea intatihnaetd Pthhaeed irsua s v ereya rly
workp,er hpast hefri sbto oPkl awrtoot ei nh iyso u;t h
whiolteh esrasy tthhdeai ta loigsou bev iotuhspelr yo duct
ofa get,h atth peh ilosmoupshhtea rvb ee eantl eassitx ty
whenh ew rotiet -afhtaevirgn alrea"\'VTdiyt tetnh e
* pIr efteour s teh Ger eenka mien stoefat hdme o rfea milbiuamtri s-
leadRienpgu blic.
xi