Adeimantos (Plato)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Adeimantos (Greek Ἀδείμαντος Adeímantos ; * probably around 432 BC) was an older brother of the philosopher Plato . It is also called Adeimantos of Kollytos after its place of origin . Adeimantos is an important participant in Plato's literary dialogue Politeia .

Life

Adeimantos was the eldest of Ariston's three sons and his wife Periktione . His brothers were Glaucon and Plato; Plato was the youngest. They had a sister named Potone .

The family was distinguished and wealthy. She lived in Kollytos , a district of Athens . Ariston considered himself a descendant of Kodros , a mythical king of Athens; in any case, one of his ancestors, Aristocles, was already 605/604 BC. BC Archon . Among Periktiones ancestors was a friend and relative of the legendary Athenian legislature Solon .

Adeimantos was born no later than 429, probably around 432. After the early death of his father, around 423 his mother married her maternal uncle Pyrilampes , a respected Athenian who had been an envoy in Pericles ' time. From this marriage Antiphon , a half-brother of Adeimantos, emerged. Pyrilampes had a son from a previous marriage, Demos , who became Adeimantos' stepbrother.

According to Plato, Adeimantos took part in a battle at Megara in the Peloponnesian War , where he distinguished himself. If this is historical reality rather than literary fiction, it is probably the Battle of the Kerata Hills near Megara, which took place in 409.

While Adeimantos' stepfather Pyrilampes was democratic , his mother's family included several prominent politicians with an oligarchic attitude: Periktiones uncle Kallaischros belonged to 411 BC. BC to the Council of Four Hundred , which came to power for a short time through the coup , their cousin Critias was a member of the oligarchical Council of Thirty ("Thirty Tyrants"), the 404/403 BC. BC Athens ruled. Under the rule of thirty, Periktiones 'brother Charmides , Adeimantos' uncle, was appointed to an oligarchic body and died fighting the Democrats.

In 399 Adeimantos was present at the trial in which Socrates was sentenced to death.

Adeimantos was probably married and left descendants, because in the will of his brother Plato, who died at the age of eighty, an Adeimantos is listed as the only heir. This heir is probably a grandson of Plato's brother of the same name.

Role in the works of Plato

Adeimantos appears in three of Plato's works. In Dialog Parmenides he is involved in the framework plot. In the Apology of Socrates , Socrates, who is defending himself as the accused, names him among those present who can be considered as witnesses to exonerate. In Dialog Politeia he takes part in the conversation; there he and his brother Glaucon are Socrates' main interlocutors from the second book onwards. In doing so, Adeimantos proves to be honorable and status-conscious; he wants to gain honor, but doesn't want to try too hard. He could easily come to terms with restrictions such as those imposed by the Platonic state ideal on the citizens, as long as his social rank is guaranteed. As a thinker he is skeptical and difficult to dissuade from his convictions; He is thoughtful and of serious disposition, a prudent and realistic, benefit-oriented assessor of the possible behavior options, whose advantages and disadvantages he weighs soberly.

literature

  • Luc Brisson : Adimante d'Athènes . In: Richard Goulet (ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques , Vol. 1, CNRS, Paris 1989, ISBN 2-222-04042-6 , p. 55
  • John K. Davies : Athenian Property Families, 600-300 BC Clarendon Press, Oxford 1971, p. 332
  • Debra Nails: The People of Plato . Hackett, Indianapolis 2002, ISBN 0-87220-564-9 , pp. 2f. (and family tree p. 244)
  • John S. Traill: Persons of Ancient Athens , Volume 1: A- to Alexandros. Athenians, Toronto 1994, ISBN 0-9692686-2-9 , pp. 131f. (No. 107935; compilation of the documents)

Remarks

  1. ^ John K. Davies: Athenian Property Families, 600-300 BC , Oxford 1971, pp. 332-334.
  2. ^ Plato, Timaeus 20e and Charmides 155a. See John K. Davies: Athenian Property Families, 600-300 BC , Oxford 1971, pp. 322-326.
  3. ↑ For dating see Debra Nails: The People of Plato , Indianapolis 2002, pp. 2f.
  4. ↑ John K. Davies: Athenian Property Families, 600-300 BC , Oxford 1971, pp. 329-331; Debra Nails: The People of Plato , Indianapolis 2002, p. 258.
  5. ↑ Plato, Politeia 368a.
  6. ↑ Diodorus 13:65. On the battle, see Donald Kagan : The Fall of the Athenian Empire , Ithaca 1987, pp. 264f .; Bruno Bleckmann : Athens way into defeat , Stuttgart 1998, pp. 169, 202, 238f., 287 and note 69.
  7. ↑ Michael Erler : Platon , Munich 2006, p. 15; Michael Erler: Platon (= outline of the history of philosophy . The philosophy of antiquity , volume 2/2), Basel 2007, p. 41; Debra Nails: The People of Plato , Indianapolis 2002, p. 92.
  8. ^ Plato, Apologie des Sokrates 33e – 34a.
  9. ↑ Diogenes Laertios 3.41.
  10. ^ John K. Davies: Athenian Property Families, 600-300 BC , Oxford 1971, p. 332.
  11. ^ Plato, Parmenides 126a-127a.
  12. ^ Plato, Apologie des Sokrates 33e – 34a.
  13. ↑ See the overview by Thomas Alexander Szlezák (Hrsg.): Plato: Der Staat. Politeia , Düsseldorf 2000, p. 943.
  14. ^ Leon Harold Craig: The War Lover. A Study of Plato's Republic , Toronto 1994, pp. 112-129.
personal data
SURNAME Adeimantos
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Adeimantos of Kollytos
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Brother of Plato
DATE OF BIRTH around 432 BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 4th century BC Chr.