Passion of the Western Mind

society founded on divine principles and governed by divinely informed philosophers could save mankind from its destructive irrationality;

the intellect—considered by Plato the highest part of the soul—

and bring his darkened mind back into the archetypal light, the true source of being.

The goal of philosophy is to free the soul from this deluded condition in which it is deceived by the finite imitation and veiling of the eternal.

passion to restore a former unity, to overcome the separation from the divine and become one with it.

Socrates thus became not only the inspiration for but also the personification of the Platonic philosophy. From Plato’s art emerged the archetypal Socrates, the avatar of Platonism.

self-critical reflection.

philosophy for Socrates was concerned less with knowing the right answers than with the strenuous attempt to discover those answers. Philosophy was a process, a discipline, a lifelong quest.

reasoning through rigorous dialogue as a method of intellectual investigation intended to expose false beliefs and elicit truth.