On Apr 15, 2012, at 3:18 PM, 123hop at comcast.net wrote:
> Plato is more interesting than Rand. Rand is a Hollywood hack with delusions of grandeur. Her appeal to Americans (and note that she is nothing outside of U.S.) has mostly to do with the fact that this country is still in its adolescent stage and easily affected by an adolescent "philosophy".
>
> Plato, on the other hand, is a man with significant creative powers who, as a result of his class identification and interests, was incapable of really comprehending Socrates' gnostic teachings. That makes him more interesting as a touchstone in the evolution of western thought.
>
> "The Symposium" is a real work of art.
I can't believe you've been put in the position of defending Plato. Has this become a forum of philistines?
Doug