Have you heard the name? Did you ever wonder who he was or what he actually said? Now is that perfect opportunity to delve into one of the greatest minds of antiquity, a pillar of Western thought and the cornerstone of pretty much all European philosophy.

See why the British Philosopher Alfred Whitehead said: “ The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of footnotes to Plato… I allude to the wealth of general ideas.” Come and discover for yourself in the relaxed, non-academic setting of the Providence Athenæum the treasure and legacy of a thinker whose ideas and influence have shaped millennia. Plato wrote for the general populace; all of his works are intact, and compared to many other philosophers, are a fairly easy read.

This group will meet from 10:30am to 12 noon on the third Saturday of every month in the Athenæum’s Bound. Please note we’ll meet on the second Saturday in February.

Sat, September 17
Protagoras

Sat, October 22
Meno

Sat, November 19
Phaedo (not Phaedrus)

Sat, December 17
Symposium

Sat, January 21
Republic

Sat, February 11 (second Saturday)
Phaedrus (not Phaedo)

Sat, March 18
Parmenides

Sat, April 22
Theaetetus

Sat, May 20
Timaeus

Suggested texts: Participants are free to choose any text of Plato which contain the dialogues we will be reading.

Plato: The Collected Dialogues, including the Letters; Princeton University Press, Editors: Edith Hamilton,Huntington Cairns. Bollingen Series.
or
Plato: Complete Works; Hacket Publishing Company, Editors: John Cooper, D.S. Hutchinson

Please note: If you are ever going to refer to a section of the text in our gathering, please ensure that whatever text you are using, that it has the STEPHANUS system (number and letter) so that regardless of whatever book you are using we may all easily access the section.

Leonard Cambra (Lenny) has been a Foreign Language teacher for over 30 years and is currently Foreign Language Department chair at Woonsocket High School. He loves philosophy, history, and the humanities in general. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Letters from St. John’s Seminary College; master degrees in Religious Studies, Education, and Spanish from Providence and Rhode Island College, respectively); and a doctoral degree from Virginia Episcopal Seminary. He is excited to be back in person at the Athenæum and looks forward to some great reading and excellent discussions.