Plato's "Symposium"

Author: Plato
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: Even if classic Western thought has been translated into Chinese, it does not mean that the Chinese academic community has the ability to interpret it. Although the history of translating Western academic works into Chinese has only been a hundred years, the accumulation has already been substantial. Yet, the interpretation of these works by the academic community seems to still be like eating undercooked food—even raw rice, unable to digest it. Translating works by Western scholars that interpret classic Western thought, fully utilizing the solid achievements of the Western academic community in organizing and preserving old knowledge. Reading Plato's works as dramas is not only not the unconventional "creative betrayal" that people admire today, but rather a return to Plato himself. Starting from the dramatic features of Plato's dialogues to understand Plato is both a requirement of the text itself and more importantly, a prerequisite for entering Plato's rich and diverse discourse system. Since life itself cannot be summarized in a single sentence, then Plato using drama instead of essays to express himself is precisely to present and raise issues more comprehensively and vividly, allowing most people to satisfy themselves with the superficially lively stories, while enabling careful and wise readers to grasp the "subtle meanings" within while not overlooking the "great principles."