SELF-PREDICATION AND THE IDEA OF THE GOOD IN PLATO’S REPUBLIC
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26512/pl.v13i28.54189Keywords:
Idea. Good. Self-predication. Republic. Plato.Abstract
In the 20th century, many complex interpretations of the role of the Idea of the Good in Platonic metaphysics were constructed on the basis of an analysis of the Simile of the Sun in Plato’s Republic. Among the most prominent interpretations is that developed by Gerasimos Santas (1980), whose originality lies in the fact that it is founded on a conceptual framework developed by analytic scholars based on a passage from Aristotle’s Topics (Owen, 1968; Keyt, 1969 & 1971; Vlastos, 1965 & 1972; etc.). Based on this passage, these scholars identify a distinction of attributes of Platonic Ideas, which Santas uses to define the role of the Idea of the Good as the ‘Idea of Ideas’, i.e. the Idea that is the cause of the other Ideas being Ideas. This article evaluates the assumptions underlying Santas' interpretation of the Idea of the Good, and, in the light of Vlastos' studies, argues for its incompatibility with the text of the dialogues.
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