What Is Philosophy? And How Does Plato Fit Into This?

Is philosophy, as a field, conceived of correctly today? Join Jonathan Leaf, an award-winning playwright and novelist, for a salon where Jonathan will delve into this issue and explore the historical and current views on philosophy.

The literal meaning of philosophy is “love of wisdom.” So you might think that philosophy classes would be trying to teach students wise observations and practical ideas about the meaning of life. Shouldn’t they be telling us about how the best societies and governments are organized or about wise life choices? That they instead focus on esoteric concepts or nonsensical notions is a sign that something has gone very wrong within the field. This problem extends back to Plato and Socrates. In this salon, we will examine these questions with a particular focus on the historical view of Plato and present beliefs about him.

Recommended (but optional) reading:

• Jonathan’s Substack Essay – A Short Critical History of Philosophy

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