Parmenides (dialogue)

Parmenides (Greek: Παρμενίδης) is one of the dialogues of Plato. It is widely considered to be one of the most challenging and enigmatic of Plato's dialogues.^[1]^[2]^[3] The Parmenides purports to be an account of a meeting between the two great philosophers of the Eleatic school, Parmenides and Zeno of Elea, and a young Socrates. The occasion of the meeting was the reading by Zeno of his treatise defending Parmenidean monism against those partisans of plurality who asserted that Parmenides' supposition that there is a one gives rise to intolerable absurdities and contradictions. The dialogue is set during a supposed meeting between Parmenides and Zeno of Elea in Socrates' hometown of Athens. This dialogue is chronologically the earliest of all as Socrates is only nineteen years old here. It is also notable that he takes the position of the student here while Parmenides serves as the lecturer.

Most scholars agree that the dialogue does not record historic conversations, and is most likely an invention by Plato.^[4]

^ "The Parmenides has surely proven itself the most enigmatic of all Plato's dialogues. In spite of a sustained and extensive history of discussion, there is no positive consensus about the basic issues central to its interpretation." Miller, p. 3
^ Gill, Mary Louise. Parmenides. p. 1. Hackett 1996.
^ Meinwald, p. 367
^ Rickless, Samuel (2020), "Plato's Parmenides", in Zalta, Edward N. (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2020 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, retrieved 2022-12-19

[1] "The Parmenides has surely proven itself the most enigmatic of all Plato's dialogues. In spite of a sustained and extensive history of discussion, there is no positive consensus about the basic issues central to its interpretation." Miller, p. 3

[2] Gill, Mary Louise. Parmenides. p. 1. Hackett 1996.

[3] Meinwald, p. 367

[4] Rickless, Samuel (2020), "Plato's Parmenides", in Zalta, Edward N. (ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2020 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, retrieved 2022-12-19

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]