Abstract

This chapter introduces the book’s central focus: the role that the reader’s dialogue with Plato’s texts can play within the philosophical project. Drawing on Phaedrus’ treatment of the written word, it is argued that the value of a text is dependent on the activities of both creator and receiver, and that for all the inherent limitations of the written word, a dialogue with Plato’s texts can play an analogous role to philosophical conversation, by helping the reader on the path to learning. In the context of the debate between doctrinal and non-doctrinal interpreters, it is argued that this is a matter not of the ideas the reader takes away, but of the nature and quality of her engagement. Accordingly, it is explained, the experience of reading and the ways in which the dialogues engage their readers are at the heart of the study.