Plato and Unreasonable Mathematicians

April 12, 2008 – 10:06 pm

A friend today sent me this picture from the Boston Museum of Science. It’s especially funny to me, because I have formal education in both mathematics and philosophy. And anyone who’s read Plato’s Republic is bound to think it odd.
It’s odd because Plato’s good society, the republic, requires its citizens to study mathematics [...]

By filosofo | Posted in Mathematics, Philosophy, Plato | 1 comment

What Plato Might Have Said But Didn’t

October 20, 2006 – 9:23 pm
Search Google for “Let me make the songs of a nation, and I care not who makes its laws,” and you’ll discover a number of people think Plato said such a thing. However, as Kevin Mungons pointed out, there’s no evidence he did. How do faux quotes like this get started? They seem [...]
By filosofo | Posted in Music, Philosophy, Plato | 2 comments

Plato on Today’s Social Sciences, Perhaps

September 21, 2006 – 11:16 pm
“Suppose a man was in charge of a large and powerful animal, and made a study of its moods and wants; he would learn when to approach and handle it, when and why it was especially savage or gentle, what the different noises it made meant, and what tone of voice to use to soothe [...]
By filosofo | Posted in Philosophy, Plato, Politics | 2 comments