Hermocrates (dialogue)

Hermokrates (Greek Ἑρμοκράτης HERMOCRATES ) is the title of the ancient philosopher Plato probably wanted to give a dialogue, which he intended to write. The Hermokrates should be the third part of a trilogy by the dialogues Timaeus and Critias. Since Plato but has not completed the Critias, it is unlikely that he ever started the Hermokrates.

Witness to the dialogue plan

The proposed dialogue should be very likely named after the caller Hermokrates, the main role was intended. In this dialog figure is the Syracusan politician and troop commander Hermokrates, on the side of the opponent Athens worked in the Peloponnesian War.

In the Timaeus and Critias in four people take part in the conversation: Socrates, Timaeus of Locri, Critias and Hermokrates. Both dialogs Hermokrates comes only briefly to speak. For the Hermokrates apparently the same four dialogue partners were provided. As in the Timaeus and Critias in the respective main speaker, after which the dialog is named, holds a long lecture, it can be assumed that Hermokrates occur as the keynote speaker at the third screen of the planned trilogy, and should keep a big monologue.

The fact that Plato wanted to write the third dialog and that Hermokrates the main role was intended, is the relevant information in the Timaeus and Critias be found in the. At the beginning of the Timaeus, the reader learns that Socrates has spoken the day before in the round on his theory of the state. Now it is planned that the other one after the other in detail to speak out and the issue raised by Socrates theme illuminate from their perspective. While the question of the best state has been discussed theoretically the day before, empirical aspects are to be represented in the three lectures of Timaeus, Critias and Hermokrates. On the basis of descriptions of the course of history the practical implementation of Socrates ' political philosophy thought to be illustrated.

All three presentations will take place in the same meeting on the same day; Plato 's Timaeus and Critias, the dialogues and the planned Hermokrates therefore not designed as three different calls, but as the three phases of the same conversation. Maybe he has not originally planned three separate dialogues, but a unified work. The order of the presentations have been agreed before the meeting with each of the three speakers. Timaeus is the first in the series; he takes over the task to report on the nature of the cosmos and of man, and thus to describe the conditions of existence of human society in the dialogue named after him. With the conclusion of his speech, the Timaeus ends. Then Critias speaks; how he got rid of his task, is described in the Critias that ties seamlessly to the Timaeus. Critias has to give a lecture on the early history, the history of Ur -Athens, a submerged state, which is similar to that designed by Socrates ideal state. At the beginning of Critias passes the exhausted of his lecture Timaeus the word to Critias. Socrates points out that Hermokrates soon will hold the last presentation, and also Critias takes at the beginning of his remarks on reference that Hermokrates will immediately talk about him. It is not to be doubted after the currently prevailing opinion research that Plato wanted to play the lecture of Hermokrates in a third dialogue or third part of a single plant. Perhaps the death of him prevented them first to complete the Critias and then to realize the additional projects; but it may also be that he gave up the plan while working on the Critias.

Conjectures about the planned content

The theme of the planned Hermokrates arises from the structure about which Plato apparently wanted to give the trilogy. His intention was, a description of the creation of the world and the nature of man and his position in the cosmos to offer in the three papers and to take against this background on philosophically interesting aspects of the course of history, the history of his hometown Athens should be the focus. Maybe he was about to lead the historical account in the third part of the trilogy and for the near past. It never occurred to him to historical truth, but on an instructive description of suspended samples of the Athenian state in terms of relevance to his political philosophy. Since the topic of Critias the mythical history Ur -Athens is, must have Hermokrates Plato meant for the task to tell the Hermokrates of later developments that occurred after the demise Ur -Athens. Hermokrates should therefore treat the fate of the newly created after this disaster, continuing up to the former presence of the Athenian state. Unknown, however, is that periods of Athenian history it should come into view.

According to popular hypothesis should be presented, as after a natural disaster that brought about the demise of older civilizations, human society was a new beginning and gradually developed towards their contemporaries familiar state. Since the emergence and development of social organization is treated after such a catastrophe in the third book of Plato's late work prefectures, the presumption is in the research have been expressed that the philosopher stopped working on the Critias and has the plan to write the Hermokrates abandoned, and that he has instead of what was originally form the content of the third part of the trilogy project, shown in the Laws.

One view is that other research Hermokrates should have the task of responding to the Sicily 415-413 Athenian expedition BC, which ended with the fall of the Athenian army. As a troop commander, who at that time was in Sicily at the focal point of the events and significantly contributed to the defeat of Athens, he was eminently qualified for such a lecture. However, it is hard to imagine that Hermokrates after the events of 415-413 in Athens as an honored guest could show up, and the timing of the fictional plot of the trilogy is set much earlier in the research so that vorläge a glaring anachronism.

Reception

The Hermokrates - - In 1992 produced by LucasArts video game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis the "lost dialogue of Plato " is searched for and found; it contains information they allow to locate the lost city of Atlantis in the Mediterranean.