Townsend Lecture II. Meletē and the Good Life in the Phaedo

About this event

In the Phaedo , Plato famously characterises philosophy as a practice ( meletē ) of death. But what exactly does this practice involve, and why is it essential to the good life? I argue that meletē is first and foremost the exercise of memory and also an alternative to certain Orphic ideas. Connecting to the first lecture, I aim to show that philosophical meletē is an ongoing activity through which we preserve, renew, and internalise our understanding. I argue that this is precisely what Socrates' final injunction to his companions expresses.

Reception to follow.

Townsend Lecture I. The Dynamic Structure of Understanding in Plato

Townsend Lecture III. The Resilience of the Wisdom of the Stoic Sage