ABSTRACT
In his strange little dialogue Ion, Plato presents a dilemma: either the ability to sing Homer and comment elegantly is a routine art, a techne, which can then be written down and taught to others; or else it is not, in which case its origin is mysterious. He makes a similar claim here and elsewhere about all human skills, from music to entrepreneurship. Either the skills can be made routine or they cannot (e.g. Gorgias 449d). Almost anyone can be taught to sing, if ‘singing’ is taken as following notes on a page. Up, down, down, up, up. But between the routinely skilful singer struggling in the church choir and Luciano Pavarotti is a creative gap.
