(continued 2/2)

Because Plato wrote, he has many more students than Socrates. Yet Plato wisely recognized a decisive advantage in the Socratic method: Socrates could attend to the particular and individual characters of his interlocutors. Written words, by contrast, if maltreated or abused, have "no parent to protect them" and "cannot protect or defend themselves" (this article is a minor example in the genre).

Philosophy is not simply an intellectual or technical achievement, for which writing would suffice. It demands virtue, sustained moral attention, and the complete participation of the soul. Plato warns against smug confidence in technical progress. Today, we know where science without conscience leads: to Auschwitz and Hiroshima.

Plato wrote thoughtfully and carefully about the human condition. His teaching forms a cornerstone of our civilization. He deserves our attention and respect, not this snide, juvenile contempt.