Dialogue on The Phaedrus (Part II): The Purpose of Speech, and its Powers in Particular

Does speech exist to provide direction to the soul, as Socrates asserts in the second part of The Phaedrus? How do we use the power of reason to interpret the general form of a spoken concept and apply that understanding to a particular purpose? In this live recording made on April 11, 2021 of a discussion of the Toronto Philosophy, Calgary Philosophy, and Online Rebels Meetup groups we explored these and other aspects of Plato's Phaedrus (from 257(c) to the end). Among the powers of speech we considered are its two-way nature in contrast to other forms of expression, and in the context of the legend of Thamus and Theuth the ability of speech to promote knowledge as recollection in the soul. A participant began by asking whether the people of Plato's time spoke of "the infinite" as we examined the geometry of the tetrahedron, and we ended with th ...