Cairetw,

 would like before my start of the subject as given from the title to give thanks to Maximius Ph. (for Philosopher) for his incredible honored attention and acceptance of my work in the Philos Sophias group! Thank you my friend!J Thus that post is the first that I am writings as Skholarchis “ScolarchV” of our beloved group! So here is my thoughts concerning a myth, the first meeting of Plato and Socrates:

I began my writings regarding Plato life with a fragment by Diogenes Laertius, about Socrates’ dream. Every each of us we can assume the untruthness of this dream especially because we are living in the 21^st century! Although scholars, even from the beginning of the 19^th century had a series of marvelous thoughts for that dream. They tried to answer questions such as: When Socrates entered into Plato’s life?

We must suppose that Plato had the opportunity to meet Socrates very early in his life! We can image a dialogue held between the two divine spirits like the one in Lysis (Plat Lysis 208c):

“…And now there is one thing more you must tell me. Do they let you control your own self, or will they not trust you in that either? Of course they do not, he replied. But some one controls you? Yes, he said, my tutor here. Is he a slave? Why, certainly; he belongs to us, he said. What a strange thing, I exclaimed; a free man controlled by a slave! But how does this tutor actually exert his control over you? By taking me to school, I suppose, he replied. And your schoolmasters, can it be that they also control you?…”

If we examine the above mentioned fragment and the dream of Socrates we can say that Plato was around his twelve year of life when met Socrates. We must not overlook that Socrates was a star of his years! Everyone in the city of Athens knew him. Although Plato started to follow Socrates after his twenty years, as Diogenes stated (Dio. L., III 6).

Between the two facts, Socrates is quite acceptable to meet his future student as he met Charmides, –if we will accept the historical accuracy of the dialogue– who a generation earlier he had joined Socrates’ companion. That is also suitable and explains perfectly the later relationship between the two. That relationship stopped in the twenty-eight birthday of Plato, when Socrates put in death by the State of Athens.

Yours,

Nikolaos Cleomenes