{"product_id":"2940016116471","title":"Introduction to the Philosophy and Writings of Plato","description":"The Project Gutenberg EBook of Introduction to the Philosophy and Writings\u003cbr\u003eof Plato, by Thomas Taylor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with\u003cbr\u003ealmost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or\u003cbr\u003ere-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included\u003cbr\u003ewith this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTitle: Introduction to the Philosophy and Writings of Plato\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Thomas Taylor\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRelease Date: November 22, 2003 [EBook #10214]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLanguage: English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCharacter set encoding: ISO Latin-1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK INTRODUCTION TO THE ***\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Jake Jaqua\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eINTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY AND WRITINGS OF PLATO\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHOMAS TAYLOR\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Philosophy,\" says Hierocles, \"is the purification and perfection of human\u003cbr\u003elife. It is the purification, indeed, from material irrationality, and the\u003cbr\u003emortal body; but the perfection, in consequence of being the resumption of\u003cbr\u003eour proper felicity, and a reascent to the divine likeness. To effect these\u003cbr\u003etwo is the province of Virtue and Truth; the former exterminating the\u003cbr\u003eimmoderation of the passions; and the latter introducing the divine form to\u003cbr\u003ethose who are naturally adapted to its reception.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOf philosophy thus defined, which may be compared to a luminous pyramid,\u003cbr\u003eterminating in Deity, and having for its basis the rational soul of man\u003cbr\u003eand its spontaneous unperverted conceptions,--of this philosophy, August,\u003cbr\u003emagnificent, and divine, Plato may be justly called the primary leader\u003cbr\u003eand hierophant, through whom, like the mystic light in the inmost\u003cbr\u003erecesses of some sacred temple, it first shone forth with occult and\u003cbr\u003evenerable splendour.[1] It may indeed be truly said of the whole of this\u003cbr\u003ephilosophy, that it is the greatest good which man can participate: for\u003cbr\u003eif it purifies us from the defilements of the passions and assimilates us\u003cbr\u003eto Divinity, it confers on us the proper felicity of our nature. Hence it\u003cbr\u003eis easy to collect its pre-eminence to all other philosophies; to show\u003cbr\u003ethat where they oppose it, they are erroneous; that so far as they\u003cbr\u003econtain any thing scientific they are allied to it; and that at best they\u003cbr\u003eare but rivulets derived from this vast ocean of truth.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e------------------\u003cbr\u003e[1] In the mysteries a light of this kind shone forth from the adytum of\u003cbr\u003ethe temple in which they were exhibited.\u003cbr\u003e------------------\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo evince that the philosophy of Plato possesses this preeminence; that\u003cbr\u003eits dignity and sublimity are unrivaled; that it is the parent of all\u003cbr\u003ethat ennobles man; and, that it is founded on principles, which neither\u003cbr\u003etime can obliterate, nor sophistry subvert, is the principal design of\u003cbr\u003ethis Introduction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTo effect this design, I shall in the first place present the reader with\u003cbr\u003ethe outlines of the principal dogmas of Plato's philosophy. The undertaking\u003cbr\u003eis indeed no less novel than arduous, since the author of it has to tread\u003cbr\u003ein paths which have been untrodden for upwards of a thousand years, and\u003cbr\u003eto bring to light truths which for that extended period have been\u003cbr\u003econcealed in Greek. Let not the reader, therefore, be surprised at the\u003cbr\u003esolitariness of the paths through which I shall attempt to conduct him,\u003cbr\u003eor at the novelty of the objects which will present themselves in the\u003cbr\u003ejourney: for perhaps he may fortunately recollect that he has traveled\u003cbr\u003ethe same road before, that the scenes were once familiar to him, and that\u003cbr\u003ethe country through which he is passing is his native land. At, least, if\u003cbr\u003ehis sight should be dim, and his memory oblivious, (for the objects which\u003cbr\u003ehe will meet with can only be seen by the most piercing eyes,) and his\u003cbr\u003eabsence from them has been lamentably long, let him implore the power\u003cbr\u003eof wisdom,\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  From mortal mists to purify his eyes,\u003cbr\u003e  That God and man he may distinctly see.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLet us also, imploring the assistance of the same illuminating power, begin\u003cbr\u003ethe solitary journey.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOf all the dogmas of Plato, that concerning the first principle of things\u003cbr\u003eas far transcends in sublimity the doctrine of other philosophers of a\u003cbr\u003edifferent sect, on this subject, as this supreme cause of all transcends\u003cbr\u003eother causes. For, according to Plato, the highest God, whom in the\u003cbr\u003eRepublic he calls the good, and in the Parmenides the one, is not only\u003cbr\u003eabove soul and intellect, but is even superior to being itself. Hence,\u003cbr\u003esince every thing which can in any respect be known, or of which any\u003cbr\u003ething can be asserted, must be connected with the universality of things,\u003cbr\u003ebut the first cause is above all things, it is very properly said by\u003cbr\u003ePlato to be perfectly ineffable.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47071253561584,"sku":"2940016116471","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940016116471","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}