The Musical Structure of Plato’s Dialogues. J.B. Kennedy. Acumen Press, 2011. J.B. Kennedy’s The Musical Structure of Plato’s Dialogues seeks to establish that Plato divided some, if not all, of his dialogues into twelve equal sections. These twelve sections, Kennedy argues, correlate with the Pythagorean twelve division multi-octave musical scale. From his analysis of the
It is fascinating to think that the Symposium on love and the Euthyphro on piety were written according to the 12 note musical scale of western music! It is hard to believe that Plato would count lines and insert crucial ideas in 12 intervals! But, given Plato's genius and the educational importance of musical modes in the Republic, it is plausible. Philosophy is the highest music.
Good review of an interesting book -- thank you for bringing it to my attention.
It is fascinating to think that the Symposium on love and the Euthyphro on piety were written according to the 12 note musical scale of western music! It is hard to believe that Plato would count lines and insert crucial ideas in 12 intervals! But, given Plato's genius and the educational importance of musical modes in the Republic, it is plausible. Philosophy is the highest music.