Syllabus
Tentative Schedule: (1) Philebus 11a-16b (2) Philebus 16b-20b (3) Philebus 20b-24e (4) Philebus 24e-28d (5) Philebus 28d-33a (6) Philebus 33a-36d (7) Philebus 36d-41b (8) Philebus 41b-44d (9) Philebus 44d-49b (10) Philebus 49b-54b (11) Philebus 54b-61c (12) Philebus 61c-67b (13) Final discussion
Annotation
In the seminar we shall read and discuss the Philebus, one of Plato’s last dialogues, probably written around the same time as the Timaeus. The main question discussed between Socrates, Protarchus and Philebus concerns the relative value of pleasure and knowledge.
Unlike in Plato’s middle dialogues (e.g. in Phaedo in which Socrates dismisses all pleasures as well as sense perceptions in general), in our dialogue Socrates advocates a measured and rational mixture of the two.