Cacciari and Protagoras of Plato at the Teatro della Pergola

At the Teatro della Pergola on stage Thursday evening at 18 the great classical philosophy: Massimo Cacciari reflects on Plato's Protagoras, defined as "the dialogue of contradictions", for the presence of paradoxical statements that constitute the backbone masterful.

There will be Gabriele Lavia.

After the evening dedicated to poetry at the end of last April, Fondazione Teatro della Pergola on a light also on the philosophy of the program with a preview of "Nights of Philosophy" which will take place in early 2015.

The idea is to compare contemporary philosophers Plato's dialogues and to investigate the relevance and place them in a situation quite theatrical.

The program opens the Protagoras, focus on the virtues and the method of the Sophists: featuring the Venetian philosopher Massimo Cacciari, He will present the dialogue in the presence of Gabriele Lavia.

The Protagoras is one of the most theatrical and dramatic texts of Plato, despite the Socratic irony to the whole cross.

Cacciari explains: "Plato brings a kind of ghostly visit because this dialogue is written from the point of view of those who have lived through the crisis of Athenian power with the murder of Socrates. And on the sidelines, there are signs of the end of the polis. "

The shape is that of dialogue reported: Socrates, met a friend Anonymous, escape questions about his relationship with Alcibiades and proposes to his interlocutor's account of a conversation with Protagoras had just before the presence of other important sophists, as well as Callias and Alcibiades at the same.

Protagoras is considered a master of political virtue: but it is "teachable" virtue?

Socrates denies and challenges Protagoras, that in a long and passionate speech supporting, on the contrary, someone, most excellent in educating others to virtue, is able to make best young and can, for this, also claim compensation.

Using wisely and implacable dialectic and irony, Socrates compels the other party to a direct encounter, which shows that virtue is knowledge and knowledge of good and evil and that vice is ignorance.

Cacciari concludes: "The point of view clear in this dialogue is the argument against rhetoric. Plato wants to lead the listener to believe even the Sophists, and in this case the old Protagoras, weakening of the Greater Athens. According to the ancient philosopher they follow a logical elencativa typical of speakers, Poets, as in the narrative of the creation myth of the man who tells Protagoras Socrates, instead of the logos, reasoning, the logical connection of ideas, harmony concepts ".

Michael Lattanzi

By the number 38 – The Year of 05/11/2014