Plato's Guide to Philosophical Preparation
Alexandra Heckel, Marta
Imagine a hypothetical reader of Plato. He cannot help but notice that throughout Plato's works, there are exhortations to philosophy - powerful protreptics that praise philosophy's virtues. Philosophy can make us better skilled at thinking (Phaedrus 239b), it can make us more virtuous (Phaedo 83e), it can help us discover the secret to happiness (Republic 473e), and allow us to experience the truest pleasures of this life (Republic 586e-7a), ...