Mortal Combat: Plato, Critias 107b4

John Glucker

doi:10.1515/elen-2014-350107

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Mortal Combat: Plato, Critias 107b4

John Glucker

Published/Copyright: September 28, 2018

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From the journal Elenchos Volume 35 Issue 1

Abstract

For the difficult ἴσμεν ὡς ἔχομεν, C.F. Hermann proposed ἴστε μὲν ὡς ἔχομεν. But from what follows immediately, Critias’ audience does not yet know these issues, and an explanation has to be offered. Analysing the course of Critias’ introductory comments, and his uses of the contrast θεῖα/θνητά in these comments, I propose θνητῶν and δυσμενῶς ἔχομεν. In Plato and some contemporaries like Xenophon, Isocrates and Demosthenes, δυσμνεής and cognates - contrasted with εὔνους, εὐμενής, and φιλικός - refer to hostile or combative attitudes of mind rather than to the older sense of outright physical war. So is the only appearance of the adverbial δυσμενῶς, together with μαχητικῶς, in Plato: Theaet.168b3, in the context of a philosophical debate. The words of encouragement to Critias uttered by the general Hermocrates at 108a5-b7 emphasize the need for a “fighting spirit” in what Critias is about to expose.

Keywords: Plato; Critias; “fighting” expressions; debate; textual criticism

Published Online: 2018-09-28

Published in Print: 2014-03-01

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/elen-2014-350107

Keywords for this article

Plato; Critias; “fighting” expressions; debate; textual criticism