ABSTRACT
In the critique of writing the point is that the philosopher’s spoken logos must as a general principle be able to surpass his own written logos by coming to its support with better conceptual tools. But surpassing one logos by another is a theme which is already dealt with-as we saw briefly above, p. 39f.—in the first part of the dialogue: after Phaedrus reads out a speech of Lysias which is set in writing (230e-234c), in the course of conversation with Socrates it is made clear how one speech must be constituted if it is to surpass the one which is offered first (234e-236b). The new speech must offer more in terms of its content, and not merely quantitatively but also in terms of its philosophical importance: what is required is not merely ‘more’ but ‘additional’ and ‘better’ subjectmatter, of ‘higher value’.43 Thus the reader knows from the beginning what conditions a superior logos must fulfil. Indeed, Socrates’ speeches about Eros entirely fulfil these conditions. Thus the critique of writing basically only expresses in a general form what Plato demonstrates in the course of the dialogue. Accordingly, the interpretation which chooses not to understand the timiôtera on the basis of philosophical content breaks an important connection of thought which is clearly marked out by Plato himself. Moreover, in order not to let any obscurity arise, Plato continues this connection beyond the critique of writing through to the epilogue of the Phaedrus: there, in an obvious prediction based on hindsight, it is said of Isocrates (who like Lysias composed court-speeches for others, but then changed his profession and became a respected teacher of rhetoric and the author of writings on politics and educational theory) that he would surpass Lysias and devote himself to ‘greater things’ (279a8). This expression too is immediately understandable as yet another synonym for the ‘more valuable things’. In the whole dialogue we are thus always dealing with the same thought: the philosophical ranking of the content of a logos decides the ranking of the logos. Consequently, the fact that timiôtera appear in the spoken support of the philosopher means that he will explain more important things by the spoken word than in writing.
