“Plato is my friend, but truth is more precious”: the origin and meaning of the expression

How often, falling under the influence of anyone elseviews and opinions, we bow to other authorities. Sometimes it happens contrary to common sense. For example, parents always think: they know what is best for their child. Who is he to be friends with, what hobby to choose, in what profession to realize oneself. And even the personal life of their offspring should be based on the orders of adults. Are those who gave us life always right? And can old age and someone else's life experience be considered the ultimate truth?

Popular expression

Для таких случаев больше всего подходит an expression long ago become winged. It sounds like this: "Plato is my friend, but the truth is more precious." Like most aphorisms, this also has a source. At the end of the XVI - the beginning of the XVII century there lived a such famous writer - Miguel Cervantes de Saavedra. Everyone knows his ridiculous and ideal hero - Don Quixote of La Mancha. In the second part of the novel, in chapter 51, we come across the familiar: "Plato is my friend, but the truth is more precious." So, this is where this phrase came from! “Amicus Plateau, Sed-ma-gis Amika Veritas” is a Russian transcript of the Latin aphorism. Why did we remember about her? Just Cervantes acquainted with the phrase broad masses of readers. But he only repeated in Spanish what the ancients had said long before.

A tour of history ...

And now mentally on a time machine we will transferin times even later. IV century BC, Ancient Greece, the great Plato, his philosophical school and works, which to this day have not lost relevance and interest. In one of them - the composition “Fedon” - Plato quotes the words of Socrates, whom he himself was a student, where his brilliant predecessor advises less to look back at himself, defending his point of view. Truth is more precious than authority, Socrates argued. And the author of "Fedona" totally agree with that. Hence, "Plato is my friend, but the truth is more precious." Note that the philosopher gives the students an exact statement: one should go to the end, if one is sure that he is right, and not think about whether this coincides with the opinion of their teacher.

From Plato to Aristotle

Ancient Greek philosophical thought gave the worlda lot of geniuses. One can not forget about another great representative of her - Aristotle. This is also the 4th century BC, only a somewhat later period. He is the author of the deep and serious work of the “Nicomachean Ethics”. In it, Aristotle, continuing the thoughts of his teachers (Socrates and Plato all the same), wrote that, no matter how dear friends were to him, if you choose between them and the truth, preference should be given to truth. This is such a long story for this statement! But it is also not final, because many ancient writers believed that the original source of all “cheese-boron” was Socrates, his name was mentioned in aphorism. But, as we have established, it would be more correct to say this: “Plato is my friend, but the truth is more precious!”

Further epochs

Итак, перед нами классический образец логического and cultural paradox. The author has launched an axiom that contradicts him. On its basis, many similar statements of “general content” were subsequently compiled. For example, Martin Luther, justifying his religious and philosophical postulates, says almost the same universal formula, very close to the traditional one: “Plato is my friend, but the truth is more precious,” just mentioning Socrates and using the willful imperative “should be preferred”. Its value, of course, is clear: in any dispute, correctness, conformance to common sense, objectivity should act as an arbitrator. Or the truth. It is she who should be an absolute value and have privileges over all subjective opinions.

Let us dwell on examples.

In what cases is this expression appropriate?Practically in all, when it comes to serious fundamental decisions, on which, for example, the fate of an important scientific discovery, the solution of a legal issue, etc. can depend. Or even personal relationships. In the novel “White clothes” by Dudintsev, issues related to the new branch of biology - genetics are discussed. You will ask, what is the same aphorism related to all this: “Plato is my friend, but the truth is more precious”? Its meaning is directly related to the conflict revealed in the work: some scientists are led by the official authorities, agree on everything with the “people's academician” Ryadno (prototype Lysenko). For the sake of personal gain and power, he “wipes” not only his talented colleagues, but also frankly falsifies and pours on progressive scientific ideas with lies.

Others are not afraid to openly fight theseretrogrades and opportunists, and defend the truth against the danger threatening them. These are Dyozhkin, Tsvyakh, Strigalev, Heifetz. The latter, for example, is so shocked by the atmosphere of hidden meanness and denunciations in the team that, although there are many friends among the scientists working there, he is ready to leave the walls of the institute where he worked for many years. “Plato is my friend, but the truth is more precious” - he proves the significance of this statement with his own actions. And not only he! Dyozhkin once honored Oryadno a real professional, a man of great intelligence and talent, a biologist with a capital letter. Having learned that the academician has dropped to the appropriation of other people's discoveries, and is persecuting and persecuting their authors, he is also outraged and stands up for the defense of the truth.

“Plato is my friend, but the truth is more precious” - which meansis this statement for him? Much: Dyozhkin completes the work of the crushed underground laboratory. He risks his life by conveying the most valuable information to his Western colleagues who had come specially to the Union for this. And then for many years, until the death of Stalin and the rehabilitation of his colleagues, among whom there are those who died in prison or camps, he lives almost underground. This is the kind of hardship and sacrifice that principled people are willing to go for the sake of truth!

Literature gives us worthy examples!