© Petrushevski Iliya Plato’s letters,III
Some
claims we meet in the letters express attitudes which are quite surprising related and compared to what he wrote in whole of his work, even
more, he tell us that he in his other writings hadn’t been so
explicit and clear as we might expect, for example his explicit claim that he
never wrote anything but all he wrote is of Socrates (in his second letter). The second letter is shorter but contains very remarkable philosophical
notices, besides his standard writing about state matters he exposes to Dionysius II of Syracuse.
The
seventh letter is longer, longest of all his letters. From one side it is
classic Plato’s letter with standard topics he had been interested in - state
matters interpreted in high moral view. This comes from a fact that state
matters were long term - durable interest for him the same way the philosophy
was. This letter is addressed to Dion’s
relatives and friends (who was successor of Dionysus II as a ruler - tyrant -
of Syracuse) and who was assassinated by his companions and former friends. There are three
main topics that are predominately occupying his attention in this letter:
state matters, and two philosophical - epistemic issues and about the status
philosophical knowledge.
As for
the first important aspect - state matters - we see the enthusiasm he is
writing with. He writes to the relatives
and friends of Dion, after his dead . Dion
was
successor of Dionysius II and long term Plato’s friend since his youth and with
whom Plato had had very high and enthusiastic approach about educating the
ruler what is good governing of the state. Of course, this enthusiastic
approach is widely present in whole of his writings, he wrote even specific
work: “The republic”, but anyhow in his books the exposition is of other type -
more argumentative, spread and divide among his and the opponents views, with
many didactic turns and extra arguments, etc.; here in the letter we see it in
plain and simple more narrative form.