Commentary on the Republic: the Good is more powerful than the Truth
in this class we begin to discuss Proclus' defense of Homer in the case of Zeus's sending a deceptive dream to Agamemnon. I go back to the Iliad and point out that it's a whole web of lies that's at stake and we take a look at texts from Plato's Republic on why poets should not portray gods as lying and also on why the rulers of the state are required to lie. The class becomes a wide ranging discussion of:
– value pluralism
– whether everyone is called to the contemplative life
– are lies required for the good
– the motto "The Good is superior to the Truth"
– egalitarianism
– and more!
and includes a personal anecdote about how I struggled with these issues in my study of Neoplatonism.