The Role of Socrates as Gatekeeper: Migratory and Temporal Controls in Plato’s Philebus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.ef.362041Keywords:
Philebus, mixture, gatekeeper, good life, knowledgeAbstract
Toward the end of the Philebus, while discussing the value of different kinds of knowledge, Socrates compares himself to a gatekeeper who, overwhelmed by a crowd of “impure forms of knowledge,” decides to open the gates and let them in. This paper situates Socrates’ image within a literary tradition that uses the figure of the gatekeeper to explore the control of thresholds and the questions of who should cross them, when, and how. By examining the meanings and functions of Socrates’ simile, the analysis reveals the decisive role it plays in advancing the dialogue’s ethical aim: the shaping of the good life.
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