Evolution of Plato's Dialogues and Socratic Dialectic

Chronological Periods of Plato's Dialogues

The talks are arranged into four distinct periods:

• 1. Youth: Apology, Crito, Charmides, etc.
• 2. Transition: Gorgias, Meno, Hippias I & II, Cratylus, etc.
• 3. Maturity: Banquet (Symposium), Phaedo, Republic, Phaedrus, etc.
• 4. Old Age: Sophist, Politicus, Laws, etc.

The Youth Period

Works from this period are very agile and the dialogue is very lively. These works are often very neat, passing from one subject to another, though the endings are often abrupt. The figure of Socrates is present, and the historical Socrates appears fairly well documented. There is a street environment, as the text reflects the conversations of Socrates.

The Transition Period

These dialogues were written before Plato's first trip to Syracuse. They generally touch upon political issues. During this phase, the historical Socrates begins to disappear, and the topics become clearly Platonic and very conservative.

The Maturity Period

This period contains Plato's most perfect literary works, which follow the structure of a Greek tragedy. Socrates is the sole protagonist; this means that his theses are those that will be imposed, while other characters act as deuteragonists who pose questions for Socrates to answer. In these dialogues, the upward dialectic process is very clear: the transition from opinion (doxa) to knowledge (episteme or science). These dialogues were written during the founding moments of the Academy.

The Old Age Period

This period spans from the death of Dion to the death of Plato. These are pessimistic dialogues featuring many myths and references to the deity. Stylistically, these works tend to be monologues with longer, heavier sentences. There is a criticism of the "Theory of Ideas," and in the final book, Laws, the figure of Socrates eventually disappears.

Features of the Platonic Dialogue

The dialogue, or Socratic dialectic, was always a conversation oriented toward the search for truth. Through dialogue, we move from opinion (doxa) to knowing (episteme). In Plato's work, the concept of dialectic is somewhat more complicated.

The Purpose of Dialectics

The dialectic has a purpose: much like Socrates, it helps us move from opinion to the Idea, but it is configured as a kind of science and aims to be a rigorous form of knowledge. Dialectics represents the Platonic perfection of the soul that is oriented through dialogue. To participate in a dialogue is to make a commitment to the research of the Good.

The Platonic dialogue serves the figure of Socrates as a character driven by the voice of the Daimon (the voice of conscience). Basically, the idea is that the soul of the participant is separated from the opinions of the vulgar world to arrive at an intelligible level beyond the sensible.