The Plato Paradigm

Ivor Ludlam
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  • Philosophy
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Pericles had decided to begin his eulogy of the fallen soldiers by mentioning their ancestors. Socrates treats the ancestors as the material cause of the fallen, but by the same causal reasoning, he goes one better and mentions Attica itself as the cause of the ancestors. Pericles had used the ancestors as proof of continued greatness down to his present day, and Socrates will use Attica itself in a similar way,

  1. 4d ago

    0270 Menexenus 236e

    Socrates asks in his speech, "As what would such a speech appear to us?" This is a question we need to address. Here I read through Platonic dialogues, translating and commenting on the Greek text as I go. The resulting analyses may be found at: https://theplatoparadigm.com The full analyses include Euthyphro, Io, Hippias Minor, and Lysis, with extract/summaries from my books on Hippias Major, Meno, and Politeia (Republic)

  2. Sep 25

    0269 Menexenus 236d

    We finally arrive at Socrates' funeral oration. Pericles had referred to the deeds of the dead soldiers; Socrates refers to the deeds of the city and family members in honouring the dead. Pericles suggests that a speech might detract from the memory of the soldiers whose deeds speak for themselves; Socrates treats the speech as an automatic addition to the practical honouring of the dead already accomplished. Here I read through Platonic dialogues, translating and commenting on the Greek text as I go. The resulting analyses may be found at: https://theplatoparadigm.com The full analyses include Euthyphro, Io, Hippias Minor, and Lysis, with extract/summaries from my books on Hippias Major, Meno, and Politeia (Republic)

  3. Sep 18

    0268 Menexenus 236c

    Socrates goads Menexenus into wanting to hear Socrates' speech, which Menexenus knows may not be by Aspasia. Why he is so interested in hearing the speech is still a matter of speculation. Here I read through Platonic dialogues, translating and commenting on the Greek text as I go. The resulting analyses may be found at: https://theplatoparadigm.com The full analyses include Euthyphro, Io, Hippias Minor, and Lysis, with extract/summaries from my books on Hippias Major, Meno, and Politeia (Republic)

  4. Sep 11

    0267 Menexenus 236b

    Despite what Socrates has told Menexenus about the training orators have in learning how to put together a funeral speech appropriate to the occasion, he now claims that Aspasia beat into him verbaitm the funeral speech she would expect to be delivered by whoever the council finally chooses. Here I read through Platonic dialogues, translating and commenting on the Greek text as I go. The resulting analyses may be found at: https://theplatoparadigm.com The full analyses include Euthyphro, Io, Hippias Minor, and Lysis, with extract/summaries from my books on Hippias Major, Meno, and Politeia (Republic)

  5. Sep 4

    0266 Menexenus 236a

    Menexenus might have been expected to ask about the principles of composing a speech, yet he is still interested in a particular speech and the author of that speech. I continue my musings on Aspasia and her significance in this dialogue. Here I read through Platonic dialogues, translating and commenting on the Greek text as I go. The resulting analyses may be found at: https://theplatoparadigm.com The full analyses include Euthyphro, Io, Hippias Minor, and Lysis, with extract/summaries from my books on Hippias Major, Meno, and Politeia (Republic)

  6. Aug 28

    0265 Menexenus 235d

    It's not too hard to appear to be a good speaker when you are praising your own people. If you've been taught, as Socrates has been, by such an outstanding teacher of rhetoric as the escort-girl Aspasia, you will be unstoppable. Here I read through Platonic dialogues, translating and commenting on the Greek text as I go. The resulting analyses may be found at: https://theplatoparadigm.com The full analyses include Euthyphro, Io, Hippias Minor, and Lysis, with extract/summaries from my books on Hippias Major, Meno, and Politeia (Republic)

  7. Aug 21

    0264 Menexenus 235b

    Socrates completes his rhetorical account of the rhetorical aim of public eulogy. Menexenus appears to brush it off, and expresses a naive concern that the person to be chosen to deliver the eulogy won't have time to prepare. Socrates sets about explaining to him the facts of life. Here I read through Platonic dialogues, translating and commenting on the Greek text as I go. The resulting analyses may be found at: https://theplatoparadigm.com The full analyses include Euthyphro, Io, Hippias Minor, and Lysis, with extract/summaries from my books on Hippias Major, Meno, and Politeia (Republic)

  8. Aug 14

    0263 Menexenus 234c

    In an apparent reaction to the importance Menexenus attaches to the choice of eulogist, Socrates exclaims how in many places dying in war is a fine thing, and proceeds to deliver a lengthy sentence supposedly explaining why this is so. The reasons he give present the eulogy as a well-rehearsed spell cast over the listeners to divorce them from reality and make them feel that the situation is much better than it is, and that the soldiers died for a good cause. Here I read through Platonic dialogues, translating and commenting on the Greek text as I go. The resulting analyses may be found at: https://theplatoparadigm.com The full analyses include Euthyphro, Io, Hippias Minor, and Lysis, with extract/summaries from my books on Hippias Major, Meno, and Politeia (Republic)

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Pericles had decided to begin his eulogy of the fallen soldiers by mentioning their ancestors. Socrates treats the ancestors as the material cause of the fallen, but by the same causal reasoning, he goes one better and mentions Attica itself as the cause of the ancestors. Pericles had used the ancestors as proof of continued greatness down to his present day, and Socrates will use Attica itself in a similar way,

Information

  • Creator
    Ivor Ludlam
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    270
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ivor Ludlam 2026
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    The Plato Paradigm