What I've Learned from More Than a Year's Worth of Blogging About Platonism

26 December 2023

What I’ve Learned from More Than a Year’s Worth of Blogging About Platonism

My first post for The Presence of Eternity was posted on 26 September 2022.  The first year of blogging was in 2023.  This means I have posted on an irregular schedule for about 16 months.  According to the stats issued by blogspot, I have published 185 posts over this time.

I have enjoyed doing this blog and plan to continue it for at least one more year.  It has surprised me how much I learned from the process of blogging about Platonism.  But it turns out I have learned quite a bit:

1.  The blog has kept my focus on Platonism more continuously than before.  This was an unexpected benefit.  But it makes sense; knowing that I should post a blog about some aspect of Platonism would often focus my mind on a topic I wanted to share.  This might entail tracking down a quote from Plato or Plotinus, or perhaps a scholar whose researches were on this aspect of Platonism.  It might also entail comparing alternative translations and, perhaps, seeing what others had written about the quote and topic.  Then would begin the process of thinking about, or contemplating, the topic and quote; my usual pattern was to write numbered, unsystematic, comments and observations on the quote.  This way of commenting differs from that of the systematic scholar.  It has more to do with a Japanese approach to this kind of literature sometimes used in Japan called Zuihitsu which means ‘follow the brush,’ now usually known as ‘follow the pen.’  What this means in practice is that I did not have an outline or a step-by-step series of points I wanted to make that would come to some kind of inevitable conclusion.  Instead, I would let the quote inspire me, sometimes from different perspectives, sometimes through free association, sometimes through metaphor, sometimes through personal history with the passage, and let the pen run its course before moving on to the next point.  On a macro level, this also applies to the selection of quotes as such; I would let the ‘pen’ of my mind wander until something appeared that felt like it was calling me to include in the blog.

It might seem odd to apply a Japanese literary style to Greek philosophical works like those written by Plato and Plotinus.  I mean neither of these philosophers used Zuihitsu in their own works.  On the other hand, things like allegory, simile, metaphor, and the widespread use of mythic stories and imagery, that are found in these writings seem to move the mind into a more spontaneous and less analytical mode to these philosophers and their tradition.  The method seems to work for me and produces results that I had not expected when I started out which I find pleasing.

2.  My decision to write ‘notes and comments’ on the entire Phaedo was unplanned, but it seemed to be where the ‘pen’ was taking me.  My intention was to restrict the blog to notes and comments on quotes from various sources rather than write a full-length commentary which seemed like an overwhelming task when I thought about it.  But I kept returning to Phaedo both on the blog and in discussions with others in real life.  I had read multiple translations of Phaedo and for that reason already had some clearly formed views about the dialogue; meaning I wasn’t starting from scratch.  I decided to give it a go.

Unexpectedly, when I started the ‘notes and comments’ on Phaedo my readership numbers about tripled and remained there through the period of the Phaedo posts.  Following the last Phaedo post the numbers slowly dropped back down to what they were before.  This surprised me.  I didn’t think there would be such a big response to the Phaedo posts but I was pleased to see the response.  I may decide to do something similar next year; I have in mind Ennead I.6 On Beauty because it was so hugely influential in the development of my becoming a Platonist.  And, like Phaedo, it is not very long or dauntingly complex.  That’s not a commitment; I’ll see.

3.  The inclusion of poetry for the blog is very much in keeping with the Zuihitsu aesthetic and technique, as well as famous Japanese travel journals where the discursive material is broken up by poetry; usually haiku or tanka.  Poetry is another way of expressing some of the points I was raising in the blog, but done through imagery and rhythm.  Perhaps this clashes with the complex, and nuanced, remarks about poetry that Plato makes in The Republic on poetry.  A case could be made for that.  On the other hand, poetry can act as a teacher for the mind in how to engage with the allegories found in the Dialogues and in a culture where the ability to comprehend allegory has atrophied, such teaching is, I think, badly needed.

4.  There were some things I learned over these sixteen months that surprised me.  In particular my insight into the shift from philosophy to theology under the influence of Late Classical Platonists became clearer.  I began to see the scope and implications of this shift and how Platonism has still not, in my opinion, recovered from this.  This is a complex and controversial topic and it is likely I will learn more on this in the future.  If so, expect more posts on the topic.

5.  Another thing I learned is how riddled with typos my posts are and I came to rely on a Platonist friend who would regularly email me or call me with the latest, and sometimes embarrassing, typos.  I know that it is difficult to proof one’s own writing and many people I have discussed this with nod in understanding.  Still, it was sometimes embarrassing.

6.  There were also a few friends in real life who took the time to read the posts and then speak directly with me about them, usually face to face.  These comments were invaluable and often led to ideas about the topic of the next post.

7.  I want to thank all the people who dropped by.  Perhaps you read a single post, or perhaps you are a regular reader. But it surprised me that I had readers from many countries outside the U.S. such as Germany, England, Hong Kong, Russia, Switzerland, and so forth.  This was unexpected and greatly appreciated.

Wishing all of you the best for 2024!

See you next year,

Xenocrates