ABSTRACT
It would be of the greatest value for our critical examination of the list of characteristics if we could say for certain what public Plato was writing for. In addressing this question we are not merely following the appeal of the trend in literary scholarship which calls itself ‘reception-aesthetics’ (and which simply continues Classical Studies’ old aim to show the needs and expectations of the original audience as a formative factor in the development and shaping of literature). Rather, the observations we have made so far have already repeatedly led us to the fact that Plato was quite aware of the significance of the differing ways philosophical subject-matter might be received. Did this awareness lead him to decide upon a specific readership?
