ABSTRACT
In this chapter we discuss Plato’s “intellectualism” found in the so-called “middle dialogues,” and interpretation according to which a more mature Plato believes that virtue can only be achieved by a kind of disembodied contemplation of the Realm of the Forms. We argue that the middle dialogues, rather than supporting intellectualism, actually demonstrate the opposite—namely that Plato believes that the way to achieve virtue is through habituation and contemplation, and that virtue involves the cognitive, affective, and conative aspects of our nature. In making this argument we discuss Plato’s theory of recollection which, at first glance, appears to be intellectualist, but, in the end, requires the affective and conative dimensions of human experience.
