Plato Code?

[Szykneij]

A British scholar claims to have discovered complex musical and mathematical ciphers in the works of Plato:

The recurring pattern, Kennedy says, chimes with the 12-note Greek musical scale, supposedly pioneered by Pythagoras. And after dividing the texts into equal 12ths, the Manchester academic found that "major turns in the argument and major concepts" matched the spacings of musical notes. In every 1,000 lines in the 12,000-line "Republic," for example, Kennedy observed that Plato turned to the theme associated with the relevant note on the scale. Musings on love or laughter appear at the third, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth "notes," which were considered harmonious by the ancient Greeks. At the more dissonant fifth, seventh, 10th and 11th "notes," meanwhile, the philosopher engaged with matters of war or death.

http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/british-scholar-claims-to-have-unlocked-platos-musical-and-mathematical-code/19536672

[Gurn Blanston]

Tony,
Yes, I read that in Science Daily a couple days ago and found it very interesting, if somewhat esoterically conceived and frankly over my head in the mathematical details. Not sure if they gave the background in your article, but it had to do with keeping his radical ideas hidden except to the initiated, so that he din't join the rolls of hemlock drinkers...

[Szykneij]

Not sure if they gave the background in your article, but it had to do with keeping his radical ideas hidden except to the initiated, so that he din't join the rolls of hemlock drinkers...

As a side note, I recently discovered that the Queen Anne's Lace in my garden (after it grew to be over 6 feet tall) it is in reality poison hemlock!

[Chaszz]

Plato liked music as a person but disapproved of it as a philosopher, as it would inspire too much feeling and freedom of action among the drones who would populate his Republic. He places music under strict control and mostly forbids it. So this idea is like theorizing that Hitler hid quotations from the Torah among the anti-semitic passages of 'Mein Kampf.' 

Also, Socrates could have chosen exile from Athens to death by hemlock, but chose to die instead. Plato was known to travel, so could have chosen exile if it came to that. Therefore, if he had something to say about music he would probably have said it outright. Which he did, pointing his thumb down.