If you can talk about it, it exists. Doesn't it?

Plato's Sophist  is the first book we read for class.  It messed with our heads.  But good books are supposed to do that.  It's fun to read aloud, as we did.  We got together to do a read-though like they do for tv shows.  It was hysterical! It's one thing when you read it in your head, another when you read it live.  It's like the Greek "Who's on first?"

Check it:

Vis.: What should the name, that which is not, be applied to? Why do we think he'd use it, and in what connection, and for what kind of purpose?

Tht.: That's a hard question.

Vis.: But anyway this much is obvious to us, that that which is not can't be applied to any of those which are.

Tht.:  Of course not.

Vis.: So if you can't apply it to that which is, it wouldn't be right either to apply it to something.


Tht.:  Why not?


Vis.:  It's obvious to us that we always apply this something  to a being, since it's impossible to say it by itself, as if it were naked and isolated from all beings.  Isn't that right?


Tht.:  Yes.


Vis.:  Are you agreeing because you're thinking that a person who says something has to be saying one thing?


Tht.: Yes.


Vis.:  Since you'd say that something is a sign of one, and that a couple of things is a sign of two, and something is a sign of plurality?

Tht.:  Of course.

Vis.:  And it's absolutely necessary, it seems, that someone who does not say something says nothing at all.

Tht.:  Yes.

errr...quoi?

Yeah. This isn't even the worst of it.  It's a reading challenge -- and I'm a GOOD reader!

The thing is, this slender little booklet show's you how to challenge ideas, how to play a role in dialogue, how to break down, sum up, and hammer your point home.  We appreciated it much more when we were done.  It proved a valuable experience going into Aristotle and Cicero.  Especially Cicero!

If you are going to take any history courses, English courses, pre-law, PoliSci,, philosophy, or any other class where you have to build up/break down ideas and challenge theories, you NEED this book.  Read it once a year every year that you're in college.  It's short, but punchy.

http://www.amazon.com/Sophist-Plato/dp/087220202X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405095617&sr=1-1&keywords=plato+sophist