Η έννοια της δημοσιότητας στην φιλοσοφία του Πλάτωνα

Abstract

This PhD dissertation entitled “The Concept of Publicness in Plato’s Philosophy,” consists of Preface, Introduction, two Parts, Conclusions, Bibliography, an English summary and my CV. In the Introduction, I present the elements which prove the specialty of polis as a social construction in order to explain why this particular form of state asked so much influence on Plato’s thought and other thinkers of Hellenic antiquity. The element of publicness gained special distinction among other elements, since it was the result of the publication of the laws during the archaic era, the dissemination of the alphabetic writing, the deep consciousness of the citizens regarding the value of public life, the emergence of the public sphere as an area of politics and free communication, and lastly the demand of the democratic constitution for eradication of secrecy and secret proceedings.The first Part, which is entitled “Platonic Political Theory and Publicness” includes three Chapters.The first Chapter focuses on Plato’s critique on the democratic constitution of his era and on the inability of some well known Athenian politicians to educate their citizens. In addition, I try to show that Plato is not an enemy of a moderate democracy; this means that he is not opposed to the principle of publicness, which constitutes the essential element of the democratic constitution. In the second Chapter, I try to examine the political proposals that Plato suggests in order to contribute in the restoration of public spirit. My research is focused on the Republic, the Statesman and the Laws. I examine how the public sphere is structured in these dialogues in order to define more accurately the function of publicness in Plato’s political philosophy and show its various aspects. In the third Chapter, I examine Plato’s opinion about the essence of rhetoric art in public life. The rhetoric art is connected with publicness. I support that Plato is not opposed to the art ofpersuasion, when its use is based on truth and common interest. Additionally, I examine the rhetoric of falsehood, which according to Plato only the real rulers should use. I support thatthis view is the only point in the platonic political theory that is incompatible with the spirit of publicness. The second Part of this PhD dissertation takes the title “Ontology, Theory of Knowledge and Publicness” and includes four Chapters. In the first Chapter, there is a reference to the esotericapproaches of platonic philosophy, which are the Tübingen School and the American Straussians. Both these hermeneutic schools of platonic philosophy attempt to show that Plato avoidedimplementing on written texts the ultimate philosophical truths, which he conceived. This view, as I try to show, is absolutely opposed to the general spirit of publicness that characterizes Plato’s philosophy. In the second Chapter, I examine the tradition of orality and the level of literacy in Plato’s era, in order to determine the ways of the publication of Knowledge. Dealing with this matter leads to the fullest understanding of Plato’s attitude towards both oral and written speech. In the third Chapter, I attempt a presentation and an analysis of the platonic critique of oral and written speech, and I try to show the reasons that drove Plato to this critique. I support that the critique of speech should not be connected neither with the hypothetical existence of an esoteric teaching nor with the view that the highest philosophical truths should not be announced and should not come in the light of publicness. In the fourth and last Chapter, there is a reference to certain scholars, who support that Plato is in favor of the nonpropositional form of philosophical truths. This view isincompatible with the concept of publicness, which is more general in platonic philosophy. That’s why I attempt a refutation of this view on the basis of both Plato’s ontological theory of Ideas and his theory of knowledge. The PhD dissertation is completed with Conclusions, Bibliography, the English Abstract and my Curriculum Vitae (CV).