Allan Bloom on Plato's Apology of Socrates 1

This is a lecture on the portico to the Platonic corpus. It is also partly a discussion with several very informed professors from Harvard and Boston College who participated in this series, for which Bloom gave quite a few lectures. It teaches Plato while teaching how to teach Plato: in fact, it is a first philosophy kit or map to the hidden treasures of the philosophic way of life, and the questions which animate it. Bloom explains here while showing what exactly is the authentic philosophic instinct. It's an invaluable lecture for those who can learn how to listen and think. It is above all for the "happy few" among the young who, in this age of unspeakable shallowness and pretension, long to know something and be something worthwhile.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Plato;
• Socrates;
• Allan
• Bloom;
• Philosophy;
• Political
• Politics;
• Morals;
• Rousseau;
• Nietzsche;
• Nihilism;
• Platonic
• Plato's
• Cave;
• Ideas;
• Heidegger;
• Kojeve;
• Existentialism

[scotty123123]

Allan Bloom is the Michael Jordan of the seminar room

[MrAllanBloom]

Bloom actually once said in class:

"If I had to be anyone in the world today besides myself, you know who that would be? Michael Jordan."

[parispeter2]

Any idea why he said that?

[MrAllanBloom]

If he couldn't possess the best mind he knew alive it would be next best to have Glory and the best body.

[Barklord]

It's interesting that the charge against Socrates is "atheism" when his life's mission was inspired by the Oracle of Apollo.

[JonWRowe]

Heh. In Ravelstein we learn that Bloom loved to watch the Chicago Bulls.

[ModernMaverick]

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing. I can't get enough!