Does Socrates Speak for Plato? Reflections on an Open Question

Abstract

Plato says," "Plato believed that," "according to Plato":expressions of this kind have, for more than two millennia, preceded quotations or paraphrases of words Plato explicitly attributes to Socrates. The idea that Plato may not have been speaking through the voice of his Socrates has surfaced only quite recently. It is in the last twenty years or so that we have come to read, with increasing frequency, statements that deny the so-called "mouthpiece theory": "Plato himself never speaks directly to his readers. Only his characters speak . . ."; 1 "It is crucial to note that there is no character called 'Plato' who speaks in any of the dialogues; . . . Still more importantly, we are not justified in identifying Plato with any of his characters. Indeed, there are positive reasons why he cannot be identified even with Socrates . . ."; 2 "Why should Plato speak through Socrates any more than Shakespeare through Hamlet? Indeed, Plato seems very often critical of his master." 3 The wide spread of this "dialogic" interpretation of Plato's works may be gauged from the fact that at least five volumes have appeared since 1988 that announce themselves as collections of essays illustrating this new approach. 4