The play of intellect : an assessment of the aesthetics of Platonic dialectic through Gadamerian hermeneutics

Abstract

This thesis argues for an inherently aesthetic structure to the Platonic method of dialectic. This is carried out using a two-tiered incorporation of the hermeneutic philosophy of Hans-Georg Gadamer. In the first instance I examine Gadamer’s treatment of art, a subject handled by him as an exemplar in order to highlight the unique truth values and operational methodology of the human sciences in general. In this way a more essential picture of artistry and the artistic experience is positioned. Crucially, though, each of the terms used by Gadamer to illuminate the fundamental nature of art is argued as being just as operative within the fabric of Platonic dialectic. In order to demonstrate this, my work is divided into three adjoining parts, each dealing with a particular area of this Gadamerian exegesis.