S'mae/Hi

[iolo]

My old English teacher always used to warn us off Philosophy, quoting Aristotle (allegedly?) saying that it was no study for young men, and Leavis used somehow to indicate that he regarded it as very much inferior to decent novels as an examination of the world. We did do a paper called, for some reason, the English Moralists, though most of 'em weren't, which was our only introduction to philosophy. I am getting old enough to be ready for as change, so here I am. Hello.

[RickLewis]

Welcome, Iolo. I vaguely recalled that Plato suggested in The Republic that philosophy was only for those over the age of fifty. So I checked the text at http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.mb.txt but this is the nearest I could find to him saying that:

And how long is this stage of their lives to last?
Fifteen years, I answered; and when they have reached fifty years
of age, then let those who still survive and have distinguished themselves
in every action of their lives and in every branch of knowledge come
at last to their consummation; the time has now arrived at which they
must raise the eye of the soul to the universal light which lightens
all things, and behold the absolute good; for that is the, pattern
according to which they are to order the State and the lives of individuals,
and the remainder of their own lives also; making philosophy their
chief pursuit, but, when their turn comes, toiling also at politics
and ruling for the public good, not as though they were performing
some heroic action, but simply as a matter of duty; and when they
have brought up in each generation others like themselves and left
them in their place to be governors of the State, then they will depart
to the Islands of the Blest and dwell there; and the city will give
them public memorials and sacrifices and honour them, if the Pythian
oracle consent, as demi-gods, but if not, as in any case blessed and
divine.

Pob hwyl

[iolo]

Dioch, Rick. I wasn't suggesting that my English teacher was particularly reliable: few of 'em were. That's what comes of moving up to 'Welsh' Shropshire!