Plato, Philebus

Kelsey Wood (University of Arkansas at Little Rock)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.1: Greek Writing and Culture: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Imperial, -800--100.
Vol. editors: Jonathan Burgess (University of Toronto), Anca Dan (École Practique de Hautes Études PSL), Martine Diepenbroek (University of Johannesburg), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Victoria Fendel (University of Oxford), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Vaios Liapis (Open University of Cyprus), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Mali Skotheim (Ashoka University), Laura Swift (The Open University), Guendalina Daniela Maria Taietti (University of Liverpool)

Domains

Philosophy (any)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. -350

Places

Ancient Greece (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Non-Fiction
- Commentary / Criticism (literary)

Resources

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Can we define the best life for humans? Is it possible to know how one should live? Plato's

Philebus

approaches the question of the meaning of human existence by disclosing the scope and limits of human reason (

logos

). Like Plato's other late dialogues,

Philebus

involves inquiry into time and the forms of intelligibility. In this connection, it is not without significance that this dialogue opens

in medias res

, with a moment of transition, a repetition, and a suggestion of discontinuity. As Protarchus takes up the argument from Philebus, the unabashed proponent of hedonism (the name Philebus means “youth-lover”), Socrates provides continuity by giving Protarchus a synopsis of the discussion that preceded the beginning of this dialogue:

Soc.: Philebus holds that what is good for

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2078 words

Citation: Wood, Kelsey. "Philebus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 July 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13439, accessed 21 November 2024.]