++> On Feb. 15/98, Frank Masingil wrote to
 ++> David Martorana on "SMART" Greeks....
 
 DM>> ..................................along with his pal Socrates
 DM>> (essentially a traitor to Athens though oft cleaned up, especially by
 DM>> Plato). Plato DID try out his theories of government in two failed
 DM>> efforts. His childhood friend and student (Dionysus Jr) became tyrant
 DM>> of Syracuse (city-ish state on the S.E. coast of Sicily) and agreed to
 DM>> Republican-ish experiments. Mostly speculative as to actuality, Plato
 DM>> twice attempted to spur the effort, then moved back to Athens to teach
 DM>> (mumbling to himself that fine words were not always workable  ...that
 DM>> teaching was much safer and easier).
 
 FM> An excellent review of the take on Plato and Socrates by I. F. Stone
 FM> (whose friends lovingly refer to as "Izzy," David.
 
 FM> Hard to imagine why serious scholars are still reading and pondering the
 FM> questions posed by Plato and Socrates, yes?
 
     Just poking a bit of fun.
     My limited readings of Plato and his words "on" and "from" and "through"
     and "around" his Socrates masks, present a "VERY special mind" that
     I can comfortably separate from his "social class" historical settings.
     I find many an historical figure wearing more than one cloak (or
     seeming to). i.e "Jung", dancing Aryan nude to the call of his inner
     Fatherland; and Sartre being near a "word terrorist" Marxist-
     .....BOTH tall as mountains when their "minds" step forward.
     Yes, Frank, I do realize that history can bag up quite a mix when
     she paints a favorite giant for us "lil folk" to admire.....
 
     ...yes!                         ;;
                ....a sumo fly  (((_ oo _)))  ... Dave
                                 _<  ""  \_
 
     P.S. My historical take (mini vignette) on Plato and his pal was
          just a fragment from the good madam Professor, T.Z. Lavine-
 
 
 
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