But the relationship ends badly for the human partner, who discovers that he was never the true beloved but merely a rung on a ladder. He was useful only for a time, destined from the outset to be discarded once the machine's ascent to something higher required it. This summary describes the plot of two films released within a year of each other: Alex Garland's Ex Machina (2014) and Spike Jonze's Her (2013).
Translating from scratch the complete dialogues of Plato, probably the most influential philosopher of them all, is a truly monumental task. Yet a brand new translation has just been unveiled. The Dialogues of Plato, all 1,320 pages of them, are published in print by Gandon Editions and are also freely available online, courtesy of the Foundation for Platonic Studies, at platonicfoundation.org/translation.
This invention will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice their memory. Their trust in [it], produced by external characters which are no part of themselves, will discourage the use of their own memory within them.
The late 19th to early 20th century marked a significant transition of Greek philosophical concepts into China, with many publications introducing Plato's ideas.
