Plato’s Surprising Argument Against Writing

Why we should stop reading books and noting things down.

Jon Hawkins
The Apeiron Blog

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Photo by Evelyn Clement on Unsplash

Whether you’re browsing Facebook, reading this article, or leaving a sticky note on the fridge, we all rely on written communication. It’s a simple way to mark down information for others to see.

But this directly opposes the ancient advice of Plato. In 370 BCE, he actively encouraged others to stop writing things down.

Plato is hailed as one of the most influential thinkers in human history. As a 5th Century (BCE) Athenian philosopher, he was taught by Socrates and founded the academy.

The methods he recorded are still respected and followed. Reflecting some of the earliest instances of written dialogue, dialect, and logic. Setting out the Socratic Method (in his elenctic dialogues) and establishing the existence of forms a priori (through reason alone.)

As a student of Socrates, he learned from him directly. But Socrates refused to write anything down. Everything we know about him comes from Plato’s written work. Without his notes, we would have almost no knowledge of them or their teachings.

But his book “Phaedrus,” contains discussions and themes that directly challenged written communication. How ironic, that Plato’s written work challenges the…

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