Single Idea 125

[catalogued under 1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 7. Despair over Philosophy]

Full Idea

Callicles: Even a naturally gifted philosopher isn't going to develop into a real man, because he's avoiding the heart of his community and the thick of the agora.

Gist of Idea

Is a gifted philosopher unmanly if he avoids the strife of the communal world?

Source

Plato (Gorgias [c.378 BCE], 485d)

Book Reference

Plato: 'Gorgias', ed/tr. Waterfield,Robin [OUP World's Classics 1994], p.68


A Reaction

A serious charge against philosophy. An attraction of the subject is its purity, its necessity, its timelessness, and in some ways these are just nicer and easier and more understandable than the hard mess of real life. But understanding has to be good.