Universiteit Leiden

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Dissertation

Myth and Philosophy on Stage in Platonic Dialogues

In this thesis the most dominant academic perspectives pertaining to the relationship between myth and philosophy are questioned and repositioned and Plato’s use of myth is analyzed to demonstrate this reevaluation.

Author
Omid Tofighian
Date
19 January 2010

This thesis consists of two components: first, the author questions and repositions the most dominant academic perspectives pertaining to the relationship between myth and philosophy; second, he analyzes Plato’s use of myth to demonstrate his reevaluation of the issue by formulating and testing his own interdisciplinary methodology which the author terms ‘mutual scaffolding’.

The dynamic interaction between myth and philosophy is investigated in six dialogues and the author argues that the interaction is based on a unity of the forms of discourse rather than division. In other words, instead of defining the communication between myth and philosophy in terms of opposition he argues that in specific cases, particularly in my selection of Platonic dialogues, the two forms of discourse participate in an interdependent unity.

Supervisor: prof.dr. F.A.J. de Haas

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