The First Alcibiades – Know Thyself

A short talk, followed by a reading and a discussion of a section from Plato's First Alcibiades

Plato's First Alcibiades is sometimes given the subtitle 'On the Nature of Man': the dialogue between Socrates and Alcibiades centres itself on the Delphi inscription "Know Thyself" – a constantly recurring theme in the writings of Plato. How can we know what kind of life we should lead if we don't know what kind of creature we are; and how can we be happy if we don't know what kind of life will lead us to happiness? So much depends upon an accurate knowledge of the self – our relations with others, with our world, and with our source, our proper development and our happiness – it is no wonder that in ancient times the First Alcibiades was considered the best starting point for the newcomer to the profundities of Platonic philosophy. (Reading: First Alcibiades, 128a-135e)

The evening will start with a short talk which will introduce the Alcibiades, its important concepts, and the "story so far"; we will then read the five or six pages from the dialogue concerning the educing of truth from the depths of the self, timed to last around 15-20 minutes, and which will form the basis of a further hour's collaborative exploration.

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