The Prometheus Trust will be running a 10 session introductory course via Zoom aimed at exploring the essentials of the philosophy of the Platonic tradition.  The sessions will cover metaphysics and theology, psychology, virtue and ethics, and Platonic approaches to enlightenment. Since our original announcement we have had a large number of potential participants asking to register and since we try to keep our zoom groups to a reasonably small size, our first run is heavily oversubscribed. We are therefore proposing to repeat the course on Monday and Tuesday evenings (London time) starting in October 2021, and again on Sunday evenings in late February, 2022: see below in the second table for dates.

The aim is to present an outline of the elements of the Platonic tradition, to show something of its breadth and depth, and to make an initial exploration of the methods by which each participant's interior resources can be brought into play in the search for philosophical truths and beauties. The Platonic philosophers of the ancient world considered Platonism as a path of wisdom - one which unfolded the innate powers of the soul and revealed her divine likeness. We hope that by the end of the course participants will have glimpsed for themselves why such an exalted view of true philosophy inspired so many men and women over its long history, and why that ever-living path is worth following today.

Each session will use extracts from the writings of the Platonic tradition but will especially rely upon the experience of philosophic discussion within the group. For this reason there will be limited number of places: a commitment to attend all the sessions if at all possible is requested for the maximum benefit of each student. We have a series of papers which should supplement the discussions of each of the sessions; these will be emailed to participants a week or so before each session. 

To register by email education@prometheustrust.co.uk

There is no charge for the course. 

                                        The Sessions

Session Date Subject Content 1 19th September Introduction What is philosophy? Why philosophy? The Platonic tradition 2 3rd October Metaphysics 1 The One or the Good, the Gods of the Platonic tradition, Being 3 17th October Metaphysics 2 The intelligible and the visible, eternal ideas and temporal manifestation 4 31st October Soul 1 Self-motivity & immortality, reason & freewill, the path of the soul 5 14th November Soul 2 The soul’s powers, activities, and faculties 6 28th November Dialectic Dialectical questions: division, definition, demonstration and analysis 7 12th December Eros The Symposium and Diotima's path of love 8 9th January Virtue Four primary virtues - and the direction of the soul’s activities 9 23rd January Myth Plato’s use of philosophical and poetical myth 10 6th February Philosophy as initiation The mysteries, theurgy. And a look back at the whole course.

Repeat dates

Session Monday evenings 2021 Tuesday evenings 2021-22 Sunday evenings 2022 1 11th October 12th October 9th January 2 18th October 26th October 23rd January 3 25th October 9th Novermber 6th February 4 1st Noverber 23rd November 20th February 5 8th November 7th December 6th March 6 15th November 21st December 20th March 7 22nd November 4th January 2022 3rd April 8 29th Novermber 18th January 24th April 9 6th December 1st February 8th May 10 13th December 15th February 15th May