24 October 2022

Love of Reading

I see reading as a central practice of the Platonic tradition.  The reading, and rereading, of the Dialogues of Plato are the ground from which the garden of Platonism flourishes.  A few comments on reading in the Platonic tradition follow:

1. For Platonists reading Platonic literature is a pleasure rather than a task or duty.  I think that Platonists feel that way because Platonic literature transmits insight, wisdom, beauty, and the presence of the transcendent.  This is not easy to explain, and it doesn’t happen every single time a Platonist reads the Dialogues or the Enneads, but it happens often enough that the experience is nourishing to the soul.

2. I see the Dialogues of Plato and the Enneads of Plotinus as the two great wings of the Platonic tradition.  This is not meant to diminish other examples of Platonic literature.  As mentioned in a previous post I have a great fondness for The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius.  But I find in Plato and Plotinus a sense of completeness, a sense of subtlety, a feeling that they are based on an almost unimaginable depth of experience, and because of this I think these two surpass other examples of Platonic literature even though those other examples have their virtues.

3. I think that for a Platonist daily reading of the core texts is essential.  I think it is as important as contemplation or vegetarianism or refraining from alcohol and drugs.  I think this kind of reading is a form of purification.  First, it purifies the practitioner by using their time wisely; instead of spending time on worldly concerns, the time spent reading the core literature of Platonism is a gentle teaching on how one should spend the time of one’s life.  As the reading progresses, and understanding increases, the value of this practice of reading becomes apparent.

4. I have a two-year reading program.  In the first year I read the Platonic Dialogues.  In the second year I read the Enneads of Plotinus.  With each reading I develop a greater understanding of what Plato taught, the path Plato points to, and how to instantiate these teachings in my own life.

5. At times Plato warns against writing and literature.  In Phaedrus Socrates offers that reading can make someone think they are wise when they are not.  It is an amazing passage in the Dialogues and I suspect it is there as a warning to followers of the Platonic Way.  I see it as a warning to not use these works for worldly purposes or to inflate the individual ego. 

6. The literature of Platonism is vast.  Beyond the Dialogues of Plato and the Enneads of Plotinus there are additional sources of wisdom.  My two favorites are Porphyry and Boethius.  And there are also a large number of commentaries, ancient and modern, that are helpful.  Reading this additional literature allows the reader to hear the Platonic teachings in a new voice, with different applications and concerns.  Gradually there develops a sense of a great chorus of voices, all singing in harmony, participating in a complex polyphonic display of awesome beauty.

7. Platonic literature is not an easy read.  The level of difficulty varies, but overall, I would say, for the most part, they are complex.  There are exceptions; works like Phaedo and The Symposium have immediate accessibility.  But I bring this up because I think it is helpful to recognize the complexity and not expect to understand some of the more profound works on a first reading; I am thinking of works like Plato’s Dialogue Parmenides or Plotinus’s Sixth Ennead.  Works like these are absorbed over repeated readings (as an aside this is also true for a work like Phaedo; the difference is that Phaedo, because of its setting, and its narrative, is accessible the first time around as a story.  In contrast, Dialogues like Parmenides, Timaeus, and The Laws, are more difficult). 

A lifelong dedication to reading Platonic literature is needed to open up some of the deeper, one might almost say esoteric, aspects of these works.  I know that every time I have reread one of these works my understanding has deepened.  Just this year while I was reading Meno a teaching fell into place.

8. On a practical level it is good to set aside a regular time for this kind of spiritual reading.  I recommend setting aside a specific time on a daily basis.  But life circumstances vary, and an individual will best know how to integrate regular reading of the Platonic classics into their lives.

Above I mentioned my two-year cycle of reading, one year for Plato's Dialogues, followed by a year for Plotinus's Enneads.  One virtue of this kind of structured approach is that the time commitment on a daily basis, is not that great.  When the Dialogues and the Enneads are spread out over a whole year, it ends up that one is reading something like three to five pages a day.  One can read more, of course, but in this very busy modern world I have found that extending the reading over a full year is doable.

I also think that it is good to have what I think of as a ‘ceremony of respect’ when starting and concluding the reading.  It can be as simple as a brief bow at the beginning and ending, or it can be elaborate with candles and incense, for example.  Again, individuals will find the right surrounding structure that best suits them. 

9. Words can be vehicles for the transmission of wisdom, nourishment for the soul, and a map to eternity.