Plato - Meno

"I am not a philosophy fan. I feel after finishing this book that i still have the same questions, what is virtue? Can virtue be taught? Are there teachers of virtue? Why do philosophers talk in circles? Why is geometry used to prove virtue? Ew, i hope the discussons at work dont suck as much as this book...."

THERE WILL BE "DISCUSSIONS AT WORK" BECAUSE THIS REVIEWER IS A TEACHER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS


"After being raised by the Socratic method, I now understand its roots better. However, that doesn't make reading this as a book enjoyable at all."


"In the course of fulfilling my duties as a teaching assistant, I’ve had the mixed blessing of reading and reflecting on Plato for two consecutive quarters these past few months. I say mixed because while this has afforded me an opportunity to understand Plato’s thought in more richly textured detail, it has served mostly to reinforce the position I already held on that most beloved of philosophers – which is, simply, that Plato blows ... I have not mentioned how incredibly annoying and condescending the Socratic method is, or how absurd and problematic Plato’s ridiculous craft analogies are, or how unpleasant I find the literary style of pretty much all ancient Greek literature, or how I find aspects of Plato which others describe to be 'profound' to be totally banal, simplistic, and as imaginative as the speculations of someone stoned out of their minds ('we all have like, three parts to our soul dude and like, they are always struggling for dominance and one is like, a lion and the other, a medusa, with all these snakes coming out of its head and shit') – because all of this is far more subjective and not to the point: which is that Plato was not merely a douchebag, but a douchebag who gave us a really shitty philosophical tradition that contributed to an ongoing 2,000 year plus tradition of stupidity. Why he is routinely credited even within atheist circles as being some kind of super awesome rationalist thinker is beyond me; this guy helped cement many of the assumptions and traditions we are most opposed to."


"Plato stinks (academic babbler). Read something real for a change."


"To the translator: Kudos! (However he would translate that into ancient Greek!)"

Plato - Parmenides

"Seriously, I can’t even believe this shit. I have never seen so much contradiction on a subject in one book."


"Plato. Socrates. Aristotle. Horace. Pythagoras. The list goes on.

On what do we base our fundamental understanding of everything in the world and universe? To whom do we award the holy zenith of knowledge and wisdom? From whom have we written over 2,000 years of philosophical footnotes, enquiring the nature of Nature, the stars, and the hidden galaxies stored within the mind? Apparently, these dead and ancient chiton-wearing, wine-drinking, child-touching, Greek speaking men who didn’t have much else to do with their spare time.

Are we to take it that their word and outlook is the single viewpoint to understand the world, forms and everything else I can’t bother mentioning? How do you explain wave and light particles in the terminology of the ancients? How do you expound the principles of Zen Buddhism in the language of Greek philosophy? Can you even speak Greek? Will there be subtitles?"


"Oh Aristotle, Plato, Socrates!
A for effort
But the attempt
Was just so vain

A student needs not be asked
The genius in us asks the question

You’re not the means
Of revelation
Or the soul’s long
Lost thinkers

So leave your thoughts
In Ancient Greece
And allow
The cave-dwellers
To come out"


"ARISTOTLE IS A TWAT PLATO TAKES IT UP THE ASS

there, DONE."

Plato - The Republic II

"The most yaoi thing i've read lately is plato's Republic, which is a bit too nambla for my taste."


"I hate the republic. I want to burn it. It is one of the most ridiculous things that I've ever had to read!"


"i hate plato. i hate the republic. i hate his double messages. he confuses me. help."


"Oh man, I hate The Republic. I can almost vaguely sense the stench of the gas chamber every time I read it."


"God, I hate the Republic. I HATE IT ... It's horrible, it's so boring and all the arguments are posed in such a silly way"


"I hate The Republic by Plato(all of his arguements are biased...Plato just wants his 'teacher'... get it... 'teacher'... ahem... 'boyfriend'... to look good...)"


"All of this was fun for about fifty pages, and then even the most ridiculous displays of Socrates worship couldn't hold my interest."


"Plato is, hopefully, burning in hell. The Allegory of the Cave is retarded, and besides, anyone who offers you an allegory should be feared and avoided at ALL costs."


"His Philosopher King lunacy holds that the Governmental, which primarily exists to serve families, should be run by academic elitists instead of family men."


"God forbid that i have to read this tosh.

he goes on and on and on - too sanctimonious!!"


"I hate the Republic so much. Socrates and Plato just love lying. Oh, and assuming that everyone except themselves is an imbecil. If Athens was full of morons, why on Earth did they 'love' it so much?"


"I HATE the republic as well. all snooty elitism. who gives a fuck? yep, let's exploit the slaves, only the best shall rule... I'm plato, and I've never even put this into practice but somehow I think everyone should venerate me and I should be taught to unfortunate college students for years on end."

Plato - Gorgias

"Just be quiet, Socrates. You are being rude."


"Awful."


"Thanks to this book I now hate both Socrates and Plato.
Good job, Plato.
You douchebag."


"It's been clear that human thinking has really evolved over time. Socrates was an idiot who couldn't win a gradeschool debate contest."


"Socrates was an idiot.

I'd punch him in the face to prove my superior intellect."

Plato - The Symposium II

"Hm. At the risk of seeming provincial... Man-boy love. Not my issue."


"I was required to read this for ENG150Y1Y, The Literary Tradition. That's right: a philosophical text in an English setting. I don't know why, either ... So, the Symposium, the apparent start of the concept of 'Platonic love', even though it's never referred to, though I guess it's implied. The story's framed by a guy answering a question (again, apparently) and so telling the story of the time Socrates went to a party, didn't drink at all, and got everyone to make speeches about love.

That's really the point here ... I mean, I get it. I can't really remember the first two speeches already, and the book's introduction says to read the book in a single sitting. It's a scant 72 pages, so that's maybe an hour or two, but retaining seven points of view becomes difficult. Maybe I'm just really forgetful.
...
Socrates quotes a woman (this actually bothers me, if you'll allow this aside; it's spoken before, whether implied or not, that a relationship with a man is best because of their mental capabilities, as women are inherently irrational - if that's so, why does Socrates' female guide have any credibility?)"


"It’s well known that all Greek men are pederasts. Fact. This is another thing to keep in mind about the Symposium. By and large, it’s not concerned with sweet, romantic boy-girl love. It’s more about sweaty, angry, man-boy love. Bathhouse love. Just a word of warning in case you’re turning to Plato for Cosmo-style relationship advice. Unless you’re a member of NAMBLA, you’d best look elsewhere."

Plato - Apology

"For the average person with an interest in philosophy, I thought this was tedious and often rather irrelevant."


"Its a good skim - and it actually begs for a graphic novel version."


"I have come to the conclusion that either Socrates is indeed a very wiseman or he's a very talented charlatan who is capable of confusing and arguing his way out of a wet paper bag...If the later is the case, then he's a very influential and dangerous man and the Athens' Jury were correct in his guilty verdict and subsequent punishment."


"Socrates was by and large a trouble maker. He tore down other's beleifs in trying to find the nature and wisdom of pious, but never offered anything in return."


"Plato was wrong and whats real is not ideal. What is real is actually real in physical reality and Plato was a cunt for thinking otherwise and I heard he sodomized many many young boys too.
So now all we have about God are ideals that essentially come from nowhere other than ppl minds and lack of evidence suggests the possibility and what I now view as likely hood of nothingness. So ppl of faith convince me I am wrong and that most atheists like Plato too are sodomites and why I should follow and believe in your flying spaghetti monster."

Plato - The Symposium

"i hate Plato XD most of the things he said are just retarded (for a human being nowadays)"


"While a classic, Plato's elevated view of MANkind will irritate any modern female reader to some extent. And is it just me or was the big speech from Socrates a rip-off from a woman's speech?"


"Oh well, at least I tried to read it; I get credit for that, don't I?"


"I like the hom0-yet-no-homo vibe of it all because I too enjoy the company of men yet strictly in a conversational way although I can apperciate their beauty too. This is as important to the feminine movement as 'The City of Ladies is' for the...what should we call it...androgynous movement? grand!
it made me feel like i've never been born and I was having a re-birth while reading it.
I'm now androgy thanks to Plato and crew!!!"


"Those that understand this argument, and have read enough plato to understand this, please respond. everyone else, shut yer yaps.

The forms- they suck. a pencil can't be more than a pencil... i mean come on, how can a pencil be more perfect than just a pencil?

The alagory of the cave...
im not even going to start..."


"I hate plato. Other than his formula for writing a tragedy (which you can use over and over again to make money, if you're smart), he has nothing to offer."


"Can't remember which book it was, but I do remember Socrates talking about how beautiful things like the color purple and young boys were. :confused:"


"Die Plato....DIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! >=l"

HE DIED 2300 YEARS AGO


"Plato Schmato

I hate Plato.
Separating
things and
labeling things.
Plato tells us
that the things we
see around us such
as trees or animals
are not special perfect
thing unto themselves,
only flawed imitations of
the perfect 'Ideal' of
these things, such as
tree or animal. An Ideal
that exists separately
from the particulars
that we experience. That
can never be obtained in
the physical world.
NOW if it wasnt for
this ancient Greek
JERK OFF
and the effect his bullshit
has had on Western Culture
Perhaps I would have
found the 'Ideal' woman
by now instead of the
flawed women I am forced
to experience in my imperfect
toilet of a
world, and what about
me. How do I measure up?
I hate Plato."

Plato - The Republic

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