Abstract

This chapter elucidates the ways Plato camouflages his critical responses to Pythagoreanism by using mythological figures to refer to Pythagorean philosophical invention in the middle and later dialogues, especially Republic, Timaeus, and Philebus. The theme of “discovery” takes on Pythagorean overtones, and the exploration of the various culture heroes in these dialogues shows that Plato ensconced his responses to the mathematical Pythagoreans by narrating the stories of mythological philanthropists who suffered punishment for their transgressions, such as Prometheus and Palamedes.