Plato and Wisdom for Today

Dr. David Talcott, in his new book titled Plato, shows that this profound thinker offers much to our age, drowning in relativism, materialism, and impiety. While Plato lived many centuries ago (427 B.C. to 347 B.C.), he was fighting many of the same issues we see today. In the introduction to his book, Dr. Talcott writes, “Human circumstances are constantly changing but human nature never changes. Therefore, our problems remain fundamentally the same, regardless of the time and place in which we live.” 

Dr. Talcott's book on this thoughtful ancient philosopher offers Christians a refreshing perspective on God’s world. Dr. Talcott writes, “The reality of human desire, that we long for things higher than ourselves, permeates Plato” (p 3). This human desire drives Plato to wrestle with the great truths of the world. If Plato, a pagan without God’s word, can relentlessly pursue these ideas, how much more should we Christians, who have the truth, be zealous for these matters?  

Reviews among peers are providing high marks for Dr. Talcott’s new book. Dr. James E. Bruce says, “In effortless prose, David Talcott achieves what I would have thought impossible in such a thin volume: he gives readers a taste of the insights and delights Plato offers while weaving in contemporary secondary literature, disagreements among specialists, and advice to Christians on how to appreciate and critique Plato’s ideas.”

In effortless prose, David Talcott achieves what I would have thought impossible in such a thin volume: he gives readers a taste of the insights and delights Plato offers while weaving in contemporary secondary literature, disagreements among specialists, and advice to Christians on how to appreciate and critique Plato’s ideas.

One way that Plato helps Christian thinkers today is through his relentless attack on materialism. “You might think that materialism is a recent idea, perhaps invented in the twentieth century by modern scientists or atheistic philosophers,” Dr. Talcott writes. “I can assure you it was not. It was alive and well in the fifth century B.C.” (p 13).

Plato rightly understood that materialism is an incoherent theory of the world because it fails to provide a deeper purpose for the world. Without God giving meaning to the world, everything is just atoms flying randomly through space. 

“You might think that materialism is a recent idea, perhaps invented in the twentieth century by modern scientists or atheistic philosophers,” Dr. Talcott writes. “I can assure you it was not. It was alive and well in the fifth century B.C.”

Through studying Plato’s writings, Christians gain a greater understanding of what we read in God’s word about the world having a true purpose. Plato’s writings show that we are not imposing meaning on the world, but in fact, the world already has meaning woven into its very fabric. Dr. Talcott says it this way: “This universe is not just matter in motion; it is matter being moved by reason toward a final end” (p 21). 

Dr. Talcott’s book is an excellent resource for those new to Plato as well as for those who are familiar with this ancient philosopher but want a refresher. This book will give readers a great appreciation for Plato’s ideas. 

For those looking to jump into the works of Plato, there is also a suggested reading list and keyword glossary at the back of the book that includes other secondary sources.

Dr. David Talcott is a fellow of philosophy and graduate dean at New Saint Andrews College. His new book, titled Plato, is part of the Great Thinkers series published by Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing.