Theos-Talk Archives (January 2011 Message tt00065)

One reason is that HPB called him an (accomplished) initiate fully
versed in esoteric matters. See e.g. Isis v. 1 ch. 8. Not that we
should believe it, but it is enough to take him seriously.

On the other hand, his later dialogs, esp. Laws, are very strange.
They suggest severe mental deterioration and show psychological
problems so prevalent in many seniors (harsh criticisms, hate of all
things new, animosity toward change, and so forth). As everyone
knows, Plato hated democracy and advocated a caste system. But his 
late dialogs are much worse than that. In the Laws, Plato supports 
complete obedience of citizens to the state and takes a very harsh, 
uncompromising view of everything that deviates from the established 
laws as he understands them: dissent and other 'thought crimes,' 
civil liberties, etc. He may be called the father of totalitarianism 
and eugenics in the West. HPB indirectly acknowledges Plato's eugenic
ideas but does not comment on them:

"Plato, in the fifth book of the Republic, suggests a method for 
improving the human race by the elimination of the unhealthy or 
deformed individuals, and by coupling the better specimens of both 
sexes." (Isis, ch. 3)

Coupling the better specimens and elimination of the unfit... Yeah,
right. Sounds Nazi to me.

Max


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, Drpsionic@... wrote:
>
> I have never understood why anyone ever took Plato seriously.
>  
> Chuck the Heretic