Платоновите дијалози – применета херменевтика

Abstract

Gadamer's aversion towards methodologically strict interpretation of Plato's philosophy results in critique of doctrinal interpretations of Plato's philosophy. According to Gadamer, Plato's philosophy does not consist of a closed system of already established truths. Following his hermeneutical position, he reads Plato having in mind two presuppositions: truth is invariably related to the practical openness towards the world; and truth in its essence is endless dialogue, tested in the live discussion of questioning and answering. Plato's dialogues are the best example of this endless truth-searching. According to Gadamer, the most important of the dialogues is Philebus, where he emphasizes the human aspect of the good, namely, that good is not as an abstract idea as it is a condition of the human life. As a key element in his theoretical inquiry Gadamer is taking the notion φρόνησις (practical wisdom), which Heidegger adopted from Aristotle's ethics to denote his concept of being-in-the-world. Although φρόνησις as a concept cannot be found explicitly in Plato's writings as in Aristotle's, Gadamer states that the maxim "mixed life is the best" is one of the main Plato's philosophical standpoints. Through Socrates, Plato presented a form of human existence, not a theoretical system. Since philosophy is searching for the truth, not its possession, the theory becomes the highest form of practice. Plato's philosophy is a mimetic representation of Socrates' practice. Gadamer states that he isn't a philosopher of practice, but a practitioner of the philosophy. Therefore the dialogue is an essential aspect, not only of philosophical inquiry, but of the human life. In that sense, Plato's dialogues are the best representation of this kind of "living".