Plato’s Parmenidean Background and His Critique Of Parmenides

Plato’s system, as presented through his dialogues and letters, contains a Parmenidean background that requires serious consideration. His critique of Parmenides forms the foundation upon which he constructs his own ontology, epistemology, logic, ethics, and aesthetics. Consequently, understanding Plato’s system requires a thorough examination of his relationship with Parmenides. This study seeks to reveal overlooked points in the history of philosophy by examining this relationship, most notably the “possibility of the third state (included middle)” as a principle of logic in Plato’s system. Therefore, the first part of this study focuses on Parmenides, referred to as the “father” in the dialogue Sophist, who enabled Plato to establish this principle of logic. The second part reveals how this principle unfolds in the dialogues and how Plato critiques Parmenides to provide a foundation for things that exist “in between.” This study primarily examines the dialogue Sophist but also considers Parmenides - Peri Phuseôs, Plato - Parmenides, Symposium, Politeia, and Theaitetos.