Plato presents Socrates in his Apology as a philosophical counterpart to a Homeric hero – and the mythic nature of this Socrates spills over into other Dialogues. What is the alignment of philosopher and hero? What are the initiations through which the philosopher-hero is required to pass?
These open sessions usually run twice on the same day to accommodate different time zones-this time the Americas-times session will be a week later (20th January- see below). We take particular topics or passages from Plato and other writers in the tradition – these are open to anyone interested, and they attract a wide range of participants. We usually begin with a short 5 or 10 minute introduction to the subject in hand and (when appropriate) a reading of a short text: this leaves a good hour or so to discuss the ideas which arise (this will be posted here and emailed to those who have registered).
There are no fees payable. The Trust sees the Platonic tradition as a spiritual one: not only a guide for the outer life, but especially to be treasured for its assistance in the cultivation of the inner self – the soul – for, says Plato in the Timeaus, “we are not terrestrial plants, but blossoms of heaven.” We understand the tradition to be profound and cohesive, and one that repays the long-term effort required to truly embed oneself in it. Our approach is not exclusive – we value other traditions for their insights – nor is it dogmatic or an attempt to proselytise: however we are serious in our attempts to fathom the depths of the tradition, to identify its foundations, and where its teachings seem to run counter to accepted thinking to investigate them thoroughly rather than rejecting them prematurely. Thus our point of focus is on the teachings of the tradition and most especially our own inner response to them.
By joining our studies you are making no commitment beyond that of co-operating with us in our exploration of those truths which have inspired a company of men and women most luminous in their understanding, and unsparingly generous in their teaching.
You can register for the UK timed session via zoom here. It will display the time in your time zone. Zoom will then email you the link to join This session is at 19:45 GMT.
The Americas-timed session, which will take place on Tuesday 20 January at 19:30 EDT, can be found here.
Here is a short study paper we will use to explore this subject: Hero and the Philosopher