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Oh To Be Pretentious - Kaitlyn Terry

 "...we can say that good words, good harmony, good grace, and good rhythm follow from the good order and disposition of the soul." Plato gives us this line on page 98, and for some reason, it jumped out at me. Plato follows this by giving the difference between good disposition and good nature, the latter being simple and the former being an educated soul. This is, honestly, the level of pretentiousness that I wish I could have. He shoots down the idea of "good-natured" being any sort of a positive aspect that a person could have. He automatically puts the concept of having a good disposition on a pedestal, giving those with a good disposition the ability to be highly pretentious. the sheer concept of the pretentious mindset is incredibly fascinating to me, and Plato seems to quote the sheer basis of it. 

I tend to frequently find myself pondering what a world based on sheer knowledge, and the pursuit of such, would look like. I imagine how different it would look if people were focused on obtaining and sharing knowledge rather than money or possessions and, in a way, that's what they're doing here. They sit around and philosophize about a different society with different standards, similar to how my friends and I sit and discuss how we wish society functioned. I feel like I'm watching my friends and I conversing, but in a totally different time period and it's incredibly eye-opening. It truly made me realize how humans often stay the same in ways, no matter how much they may seem to change.



PS I commented on Isabelle and Haley's posts

Comments

  1. I love your post! You have a very unique point of view! I never thought of the dialogue as a sharing of knowledge. Your idea of a world where we share knowledge instead of money is such a beautiful idea. When you view Socrates in your perspective, the reading gains a whole new meaning and appreciation. Great post!

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