Professor Edith Hall

I mean, I think that's the really important thing. So Plato's academy did not study natural science. Oh, really? No, no, no. I think Aristotle's out there sort of picking up mushrooms and stones and sort of measuring plants and trees and doing all kinds of things which Plato wouldn't particularly have approved of. Because Plato's just hardcore theory.

I mean, I think that's the really important thing. So Plato's academy did not study natural science. Oh, really? No, no, no. I think Aristotle's out there sort of picking up mushrooms and stones and sort of measuring plants and trees and doing all kinds of things which Plato wouldn't particularly have approved of. Because Plato's just hardcore theory.

Well, it's the three great branches of philosophy as they were then, which are ethics, how should I live? Epistemology, how do I know things? And ontology, what is existence? Right. It's hardcore philosophy. He liked maths, yeah, all theoretical. But things like natural science, Socrates had played around with in his youth, but had given up.

Well, it's the three great branches of philosophy as they were then, which are ethics, how should I live? Epistemology, how do I know things? And ontology, what is existence? Right. It's hardcore philosophy. He liked maths, yeah, all theoretical. But things like natural science, Socrates had played around with in his youth, but had given up.

And there is no sign that Plato was interested in it at all. How interesting.

And there is no sign that Plato was interested in it at all. How interesting.

We've lost Book Two of the Poetics. How did we lose it?

We've lost Book Two of the Poetics. How did we lose it?

Most of the stuff we lost because Byzantine monks didn't like it. Didn't get the job. Oh, you think trashed. We've lost almost all of Sappho because various Christian bishops said we don't want any of that lesbian pornography. Right. That kind of thing. I suspect there was an awful lot that wasn't really appropriate to the Greek Orthodox Church in Aristotle. On comedy. Yeah.

Most of the stuff we lost because Byzantine monks didn't like it. Didn't get the job. Oh, you think trashed. We've lost almost all of Sappho because various Christian bishops said we don't want any of that lesbian pornography. Right. That kind of thing. I suspect there was an awful lot that wasn't really appropriate to the Greek Orthodox Church in Aristotle. On comedy. Yeah.

So I don't know what was in it. I have read everything that Aristotle wrote in his surviving works about humour. I'm sad to say that he says that we've all got to be humorous. We've got to be a good person is going to be humorous. But he says that there are two extremes. There is a mean, which is just to be appropriately witty. And that isn't very promising. LAUGHTER Yes, Dan. Appropriate wit.

So I don't know what was in it. I have read everything that Aristotle wrote in his surviving works about humour. I'm sad to say that he says that we've all got to be humorous. We've got to be a good person is going to be humorous. But he says that there are two extremes. There is a mean, which is just to be appropriately witty. And that isn't very promising. LAUGHTER Yes, Dan. Appropriate wit.

He was, to my mind, a rather boring mathematician. And nobody's ever heard of him. But he was also related to Plato.

He was, to my mind, a rather boring mathematician. And nobody's ever heard of him. But he was also related to Plato.

Oh, nepotism. Partly nepotism, but I suspect it was much more envy that all the other people at the academy just couldn't stand the fact that this guy so outclassed them that instead of saying, great, we make him in charge and we're in his slipstream and we can all benefit.

Oh, nepotism. Partly nepotism, but I suspect it was much more envy that all the other people at the academy just couldn't stand the fact that this guy so outclassed them that instead of saying, great, we make him in charge and we're in his slipstream and we can all benefit.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's absolutely stunning. It's on the western coast of Turkey, but further down. The nearest island is Lesbos, so as you can see, it's about sort of halfway down. And he's invited by a guy called Hermias, who is a former slave who's now ended up as king. That's what they say. There's been some sort of coup. He may have committed murder. He may have murdered the tyrant. He's become...

It's absolutely stunning. It's on the western coast of Turkey, but further down. The nearest island is Lesbos, so as you can see, it's about sort of halfway down. And he's invited by a guy called Hermias, who is a former slave who's now ended up as king. That's what they say. There's been some sort of coup. He may have committed murder. He may have murdered the tyrant. He's become...