On The Role Of Harmonia In Plato’s Philosophy

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Degree type
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Graduate group
Philosophy
Discipline
Subject
harmony
order
Plato
Classics
Philosophy
Funder
Grant number
License
Copyright date
2018-09-27T20:18:00-07:00
Distributor
Related resources
Contributor
Abstract

In this dissertation, I investigate Plato’s apparently diverse usages of the notion ‘harmonia’ in order to ascertain a) whether these usages have anything in common and, relatedly, b) whether this notion plays a significant role in Plato’s philosophy. I begin with a survey of pre-Platonic texts before turning to four key Platonic dialogues: the Gorgias, the Phaedo, the Republic, and the Timaeus in order to argue that, even though most contemporary studies of Plato’s thought fail to study this notion in any detail, it nonetheless plays an important role in many of his central doctrines. I contend that harmonia is an intelligible, mathematical structure that operates throughout the microcosm (soul, body, city-state) and macrocosm (the universe) and, in each case, it serves to improve the entities in which it is instantiated. We need harmonia in order to ascend to the study of the Good which, for Plato, is the highest study; harmonia is, then, a crucial means to the most important end.

Advisor
Susan S. Meyer
Date of degree
2017-01-01
Date Range for Data Collection (Start Date)
Date Range for Data Collection (End Date)
Digital Object Identifier
Series name and number
Volume number
Issue number
Publisher
Publisher DOI
Journal Issue
Comments
Recommended citation