How deep of a knowledge of mythology is needed to understand Plato and the rest of the Greeks? I pic related back in September but I can't say how much it stuck. Is Plato going to be making specific callouts to characters like Iphicles or is it more general (i.e. themes and archetypes), and if the former case is true than is it worth rereading Hamilton?
Hamilton will have almost zero help with reading Greeks, especially on the philosophy side of things. You need very little/no mythology knowledge beyond what you probably already have to read le Greeks.
>>7572309
If you don't get a reference, you can always look it up in Hamilton's mythology or the internet.
>>7572317
this.
Reading the Greeks involves actually reading their philosophy and theatrical works, not just a summary of their mythology.
Literally the only time you might want a background knowledge is if you're doing a comparison between different poets--if you're just doing philosophy, you really don't need a lot of information about mythology. Doesn't mean you shouldn't bother getting familiar in order to help picking up allusions in other lit though.
>>7572309
>How deep of a knowledge of mythology is needed to understand Plato
none
> the rest of the Greeks?
be specific
If anyone will help with your readings of the Greeks, it will be Homer. But if you're interested in the philosophy of the Greeks, you don't necessarily need to know any mythology.
>>7572309
you just need to know who the gods are and what they do.
This post wasn't necessary. Look in the archives pleb
>>7572906
so if I read the Iliad and Odyssey then read the Presocratics and the sophists I should be ready for Plato?
>>7573748
Plato's dialogues are honestly a good starting point for philosophy. I would recommend The Apology first.
>>7573818
thanks anon. I have a crazy amount of reading to get through currently but I should be able to take a crack at him in a month or two.
>>7573818
I've just read (listened to) The Republic.
Are all of Plato's books in conversation form? Because I found it quite easy to listen to, compared with other books I've tried such as Meditations or The Prince. I've got some travelling to do this week and wanted something to listen to.
>>7573840
The early Greeks are pretty quick to get through. The Presocratics are pretty crucial to nail down before Plato, but the playwrights and even Homer are referenced fairly rarely, and even then more along the lines of like "As Homer says, [two lines from Iliad]," whereas presocratic ideas are referenced more subtly (to the point that you won't recognize many of them as references unless you've read those earlier texts), and are occasionally used as starting points for specific arguments and even entire dialogues.
Waterfield's "First Philosophers" is a great crash course on the pre-socratics, in case you didn't already pick up a copy as recommended by the Greek charts.
Plato thought Homer was degenerate shit and that Greece needed a proper religion, so read it to see if you agree.
>>7573748
-Homer
-As many pre-Socratic Greek dramas as you can
-presocratics
-Plato
Or you could just read a good annotated translation like Bloom's and go back to these materials as needed/referenced.
>>7574833
He was right. Homeric selfishness, something the Spartan and Athenian aristocracy emphasized (Sparta more so) is decadent and lacks emphasis upon service towards the political community, and the construction of amoral deities who supposedly be paragons of morality is a stupid contradiction. It's a bit of an irony that the greatest example for Homeric selfishness was Alexander when Alex was taught by Aristotle himself.
Surprised to never see the Orphic Hymns or Pythagorean sources suggested
>>7573734
warosu is down
Is this overkill if I want into literature and philosophy?
>>7575500
Which kind of philosophy? If you just jump into contemporary analytical philosophy (Philosophy of the mind, say), no not really. If you want to read the Continental greats (Kant, Nietzche, Heidegger, etc...) it would certainly help.
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
I'm literally fucking howling with laughter, I swear to god, at the thought of someone actually learning that tripe.
>>7575745
wew lad
Don't start something that you know you don't really want.
>>7575747
Don't pretend you didn't at least smirk at someone non-ironically mentioning analytical philosophy.
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
>>7575686
>analytical
![sumo_suit_centre_500_93429[1]_27098.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/MQhUogQ.jpg "sumo_suit_centre_500_93429[1]_27098.jpg")
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
C'mon. It's 2015.
>>7572309
They were more than just extravagant story tellers, they were arguable better at life than modern man sans all the science.
>>7575686
>analytical
>philosophy
hoooooo boy
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
AHAHAHAHAHA
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
wew lad
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
Get a load of this guy
>>7575819
ITS 2016
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
Anon...
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
This is /lit/, not /r/books
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
>>7575686
>analytical philosophy
Oh, hey Reddit! :) Get lost on your way to /r/philosophy?
You know probably all these people saying
>analytical philosophy
Are probably basing their opinions off memes
IDK it just makes me sad
OP, if you get a good edition/translation of a greek book, most likely there's going to be footnotes when a myth is being referenced, worst case scenario keep mythologies on the side as a reference book as to when you encounter a myth reference that you don't get, simply pull out the mythologies book and look for it
>>7573818
So, it's a better idea to start with other dialogues before moving on to The Republic? Anyone else have an opinion on which work is good to read as babby's first Plato?
>>7575924
Trials of socrates
read this sticky
https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1y8_RRaZW5X3xwztjZ4p0XeRplqebYwpmuNNpaN_TkgM/pub
>>7575500
Yes. You could probably crack open the Republic by yourself and be just fine.
>>7575927
Is this actively updated? Good guide.
>>7575924
I did the Republic at school, but I've decided to read Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo (published by Penguin in one volume, The Last Days of Socrates) and the Symposium before I reread the Republic.
>>7575927
Thank you! Great sticky.
>>7572317
What about poetry?
>>7575745
>>7575772
>>7575780
>>7575783
>>7575790
>>7575813
>>7575819
>>7575869
>>7575879
>>7575887
>>7575893
>>7575895
>>7575901
>>7575909
>>7575915
>>7575916
Just because logical positivism got BTFO does not mean analytic philosophy is not a legitimate field of inquiry, there's plenty of contemporary work that goes on under the umbrella of analytic philosophy.
>>7576178
Care to expand on that? Legitimately interested in hearing what you have to say. I honestly fail to see any worth in analytic philosophy anymore. It's 2015.
>>7576178
>Just because logical positivism got BTFO does not mean analytic philosophy is not a legitimate field of inquiry
>>7576178
>analytic philosophy
>legitimate field of inquiry
>>7576186
what a stupid post
>>7576186
>It's 2015.
No it isn't.
>>7576387
Come on guys.
>>7576478
I always wondered: do positions that were justified by saying "it's 2015" become delegitimized in 2016?
