Publication Details

Abstract

Socrates provides the model for philosophy for Gadamer, who follows Plato and the example of Socrates with the claim that philosophy is dialectic and that dialectic is carried out through dialogue. The Socratic dialogues are exemplary in their open-endedness and their embrace of finitude. Gadamer is influenced by Heidegger’s thought, yet he resists Heidegger’s interpretation of Plato. The essay examines Gadamer’s account of the proximity of the thought of Plato and Aristotle and Gadamer’s claim that Aristotle’s ethics can already be found in Plato. I argue that Gadamer does not adequately attend to the distinction of logos and nous in the thought of Plato and Aristotle.