Editing Plato (section)

=== Identity, Ambivalence ===
It is a mistake to identify the '''Socrates''' of with Plato with the historical Socrates, whom we know basically nothing about. It would also be a mistake to identify Plato with Socrates. ''Plato never speaks.'' Rather, his ''philosophy assembles itself in the dialogues as a dynamic between players''. For this reason Plato’s Dialogues are defined by a profound ambivalence; and by introducing this to thought, he gives life to philosophy. This ambivalence is reflected in the myriad interpretations: to the '''Neoplatonists''', a Christian fanatic; to the '''Tübingen school''', an exponent of the demiurge. It is this ambivalence which makes Plato truly immortal, and deeply unsettling.