The Prometheus Trust: Plato the Orphic Philosopher?

Although modern rationalist scholarship has been reluctant to acknowledge how much Orphic material underpinned the philosophy of Plato, references to Orphic myth and cult teachings can be found throughout his writings. The Orphic Derveni manuscript is a relatively recent find which has ensured that Orphism is now more fully recognized as playing a part in the development of western thought and many of the most recent scholars are beginning to challenge this neglect. Writers such as Radcliffe Edmonds, Gabor Betech, Fritz Graf and others have published important works exploring the Orphic teachings and their appearance in Plato’s dialogues and the Prometheus Trust is about to publish Harold Tarrant’s book Chaerephon: Rethinking Platonic Characters in the Light of the Derveni Papyrus.

This session is an opportunity to explore how much the Orphic mystery teachings colour Platonic doctrines of reincarnation, salvation, and enlightenment. We will look at an outline of the Orphic myths, and read some passages from the Phaedo, the dialogue (along with the Meno) where Plato is most explicit as regards his debt to “wise priests and priestesses” when it comes to understanding the soul’s relationship to its beyond-terrestrial experiences.