Friday, November 10, 2017

Platonism and Esotericism

If, as some assert, there is an esoteric Platonism that remains veiled in the Republic, it can only be the system developed in the Timaeus, beginning with the principle of a World-Soul.  On that basis, a Polis-Soul is part of the World-Soul, and a Person-Soul is part of the Polis-Soul.  But, if the Whole is prior to the Part, Harmony is pre-established, and, so, any inquiry into the nature of Justice must begin by explaining how 'Injustice' is even possible.  Now, there seems to be two general approachs to such an explanation.  First, 'Injustice' is an irreal product of a partial, i. e. incomplete, cognition.  Second, the Parts of a Whole have the capacity for limited scope of free exercise, on the basis of which real uncoordination between Parts can arise.  Accordingly, the role of the Philosopher in the first case is to educate, e. g. via illuminating dialogue, and, in the second, to guide the Polis on the basis of a vision of the Whole.  Now, which of these, if either, might be Platonist Esotericism is unclear.  But less unclear is that those who classify it as an Inegalitarianism, coincidentally similar to their own, lack a full grasp of the scope of the issue.

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