The Unity of the 'Philebus': Continuity in Plato's Philosoph

The Philebus is Plato's answer to the question what the human good is. In my dissertation I maintain that this dialogue is a part of his grand philosophical picture. In the middle dialogues, Plato shows the way up to Forms, which is the foundation of knowledge for human beings living in the physical and sensible world. After the critical stage of his philosophy, Plato in the Philebus wants to return to the Cave, where ordinary people live their daily lives and tries to give an account of the good life there upon the firm foundation, forms. The main thesis of my dissertation is to show the consistency of the structure in the Philebus and to suggest a comprehensive interpretation of the Philebus with a perspective: ethic, especially Socratic question and answer, is the main theme. Understanding this dialogue in line with Socratic dialogues, and furthermore, interpretation on this dialogue upon an assumption that all Plato's dialogues are actually Plato's answer to Socrates' question, "how to live a good life?" will open another look on the Philebus with a more smooth and unifying presentation. Puzzling metaphysical account in the middle of the dialogue is indeed the necessary foundation for the ethical conclusion, that is an answer to Socrates' question raised mainly in the Socratic dialogues. My interpretation of this dialogue suggests that Plato never has given up the main claim of the middle dialogues, the separate forms and the two-world structure of beings. At the same time, however, this interpretation proposes that he does not remain at the unsolved metaphysical questions but progresses while answering the questions, which were raised against the theory of Forms. The Philebus is a philosopher's story of coming down to a daily shadowy life from the reality. In other words, this dialogue is a possible suggestion to find a way from a theoretical life to a practical life for the good to be realized on the earth as it is in the world of Forms.