Weierter, Stuart

Dr. Stuart Weierter holds a Ph.D from the University of Queensland, and a Ph.D in Philosophy from the Australian Catholic University. He currently works in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander social policy for the Queensland Government.

Understanding Life and Death Through Plato and Socrates. Philosophy as a Confrontation with Eternity

2012 0-7734-2899-2
It fills in a gap by outlining the ways that Plato and Socrates talk about life and death. There is also a lengthy discussion of how Aristophanes responded with satirical exaggerations of their positions. This author focuses entirely on how death and eternity are integral thematic components of the Platonic dialogues. The contribution is in drawing on copious secondary material to make the argument that all great philosophy must serve as a confrontation with eternity. It must make the audience resolve the issue of their own mortality by confronting our precarious place in the cosmos. Eternity is a prescient theme in Plato and Socrates, which is important for bolstering their place in the Western canon.