More Cartoon Plato Than You Probably Want
Belle lacks internet access. I'm way too busy to blog. But I thought I'd share a few more Plato illustrations. I made a flickr set. See if you can guess what the philosophical point of each illustration might be. (These are all for a book I'm working on. I've also been gradually moving towards a lecture style for my intro course in which all the PPT slides are just pictures, with only a few words.) I did a few more Flora-style ones. I'm now a confirmed addict of this new style. Here's one I did that I really like, which is doubtfully philosophically applicable. But I'll try to think of something. It's Jim Flora head meets Tim Biskup arms meets Italian Scaramouchizmo with a touch of Greek vase painting. I'm rather proud.
bbwaring-at-yahoo-dot-com
Great drawings. I'd like Greek heads, though.
What are PPT slides?
Posted by: pholbo | July 03, 2008 at 02:06 AM
Nice. Looks like a cel from a 50s/60s cartoon credits sequence for "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum"
Posted by: Jon h | July 03, 2008 at 03:04 AM
More cartoon Plato than I probably want?
On the contrary, Prof. Holbo, the only thing I want more than Plato cartoons is random panels from Legion of Super Heroes!
Posted by: Brock | July 03, 2008 at 03:53 AM
I don't see any illustrations of Aristophanes's speech from the Symposium.
That's your next assignment.
Posted by: Brock | July 03, 2008 at 04:01 AM
Hi dad. PPT slides are powerpoint slides.
Thanks for all the kind words.
Posted by: jholbo | July 03, 2008 at 09:41 AM
That's a really elegant piece of work, John.
I can see it now: The Illustrated Plato, The Illustrated Anselm, The Illustrated Descartes, The Illustrated Hume, The Illustrated Quine. . . And if you wipe all photos of yourself off the internets, you can bill yourself as the Unillustrated Illustrator. I suppose, alas, you'll also have to eliminate Zoe's renderings of you as well.
Posted by: bill benzon | July 03, 2008 at 04:59 PM
They make a lovely slide show
Posted by: The Modesto Kid | July 03, 2008 at 09:03 PM
six gross of Miasmaway, please. COD.
Posted by: woof | July 04, 2008 at 05:14 PM
Yeah, these are pretty great.
Posted by: Adam Kotsko | July 05, 2008 at 02:44 AM
thank you kindly, Adam.
Posted by: jholbo | July 05, 2008 at 02:32 PM
I think it would be interesting to see some of the weird bits of the Phaedo illustrated. Y'know, the bits where he sounds like he's discussing some sort of Star Wars-inspired fantasy setting, and makes these claims about rivers running through the center of the Earth, undersea civilizations, etc.
I think the most interesting part of the Phaedo is where he attacks Anaxagoras, yet his presentations of Anaxagoras's views, in spite of being intended just to debunk him, still end up making Anaxagoras seem much more sensible than Plato. (i.e., psychophysical supervenience, the sun and the moon being bodies heated to incandescence by air friction, etc.)
Posted by: Julian Elson | July 08, 2008 at 06:10 AM
Those are amazing. Can I use a few in my intro class?
Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | July 22, 2008 at 12:26 AM
Hi Rob, feel free to use them. (Then when my book comes out, you can assign it! Or not. Up to you.)
Posted by: jholbo | July 22, 2008 at 07:44 PM
You might be interested in Saramago's novel The Cave (2000), which depends heavily on Plato's allegory for its imagery and atmosphere, and which I understand to have a scene near the end which dramatizes the allegory. (Have not read that far yet.) My ongoing reading notes on it are here.
Posted by: The Modesto Kid | July 24, 2008 at 10:49 AM
not sure, but maybe illustrating one of those chestnuts in the Republic where Plato and his palsies more or less agreee to offing the ahhhtistes, no
Posted by: 00001001 | August 13, 2008 at 09:23 AM
I love it. I made a cartoon you, but let's just say it lacked "philosophical depth". Hahah....
Posted by: Jason | August 14, 2008 at 05:00 AM