HIS 275 Chapter 2: Lincoln - Week Two
4 Feb 2019
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Document Summary
End of the fifth century - poetic discourse exceeded the role poetry actually played in. Regarding changing relations of power and knowledge. Due to elite and high popularity and cultural prestige. The importance of state and commercial discourse still prevailed over anything poetry had to offer. Discourses regarding legal, political, and practical speech. People sought to displace poetry from its triumphant position. Group that ultimately prevailed were the wealthy young aristocrats. Dissatisfied with athenian democracy and gathered first around socrates, then around plato. Socrates and plato provided them with ideological justification for their dissatisfactions. Also provided them with critical and rhetorical skills. Called themselves lovers of wisdom (philosophoi) - contrasting themselves to rivals who were themselves the wise (sophistai) Socrates limited his activities to public debate and private instruction. After his death, plato wrote and depicted himself as pursuing methods initiated by his master. Plato, against poetry, condemns traditional poetic themes on practical and utilitarian grounds.
