What Plato Knew About Enron

This paper applies Plato’s cave allegory to Enron’s success and downfall. Plato’s famous tale of cave dwellers illustrates the different levels of truth and understanding. These levels include images, the sources of images, and the ultimate reality behind both. The paper first describes these levels of perception as they apply to Plato’s cave dwellers and then provides a brief history of the rise of Enron. Then we apply Plato’s levels of understanding to Enron, showing how the company created its image and presented information to support that image, and how the public eventually emerged from the cave to realize the truth about Enron’s actual accounting practices and financial state, which led to the corporation’s downfall. We find Plato’s allegory both useful in analyzing the relationship between Enron and the public and instructive about the power and moral responsibility of Enron’s executives.     

Introduction to the Special Issue on the Impact of Network Ethics on Business Practices

Modern public relations practices have been dominated by appeals to impulses, desires, and images that affect publics defined predominantly in demographic terms. This paper argues that abandoning basic rhetorical assumptions about the ability of ordinary people to engage in practical reason has serious ethical implications for the marketplace as well as for society in general. The study applies recent rhetorical scholarship on issues of public discourse and rhetorical culture to public relations practices, considering how rhetoric can contribute to more effective and ethical public discourse in our dominant modes of marketplace communication.     

简谈孟子与柏拉图“人性本善”思想的相同点及启示

孟子和柏拉图生活在大致相同的时代背景下两个不同的国度里,在道德起源问题上具有相似性,都认为人本性善。本文通过对孟子、柏拉图“人本性善”思想相同点的阐释,旨在挖掘二者道德思想中的合理成分对当前我国道德教育事业的现代借鉴价值。     

方案与方法:柏拉图和亚里士多德国家理论的比较

柏拉图和亚里士多德分享了一个共同的时代背景,面对共同的社会动荡问题,他们提出了不同的国家理论以实现社会稳定。尽管解决问题的方案不同,他们在解决问题的思考方法上却是一致的,那就是他们的焦点始终在伦理学,始终希望从社会伦理学的道德路径来解决政治动乱问题。     

荷马史诗的一种哲学解读——兼论荷马与柏拉图的哲学思辨

荷马史诗不仅仅是文学意义上的伟大作品,它折射出以荷马为代表的古希腊人对个人、自然(神)、社会(文化)、政治(国家)等方面的思考,是人从神话到理性的开端。而在其后的大思想家柏拉图是希腊人“理性”的集大成者,他对人、神、国家之间关系的思索更为深入。荷马与柏拉图在思想上的对比碰撞更能突出反映古希腊人的政治社会文化状况和人类文明进步的轨迹。     

The role and place economy in Plato＇s Republic

In the Republic, education and the economy play very important roles for establishing the ideal city united and ruled by a philosopher, but the significance of the economy is ignored by both philosophers and researchers. In order to achieve his goal, Plato has to answer two questions that how a city is possible and how the ideal city is possible. This paper focuses on how economy factors affect Plato＇s project.     

柏拉图《理想国》的“理式”“艺术教育”与“灵感说”

《理想国》是柏拉图壮年时期的著名代表作,10年的漂泊游历之后带给他许多感触,使其思想不断深化和完善,完成了这部内容极为广泛,影响今后历代文论思想的十卷本《理想国》。对《理想国》中有关"理式"、艺术教育和"灵感说"的观念进行详细分析,以及亚里士多德对相关思想的发展和更新,并进一步分析我国古代文论中的相关概念,加以比较和评析。     

肯定前的否定——柏拉图、亚里士多德与西塞罗民主思想辨析

在政治学界,自民主诞生之日起,伴随而来的就是不断的质疑与猛烈的攻击。换而言之,在民主得到肯定之前,它经历了漫长的否定历程,特别是在民主的源头——古希腊与古罗马时代,而柏拉图、亚里士多德和西塞罗就是这种否定观点的代表者,他们在对民主的认识与批判上有着极为相似的一致性,这些共同构成了肯定前的否定。与此同时,他们也用短小的篇幅与微弱的语言给予了民主一定的承认,即＂否定中肯定＂,而这些否定与肯定恰恰构成了现今民主的基石。     

柏拉图的“哲人政体”思想及其现实启示

柏拉图在其理念决定一切的哲学思想基础之上描绘了一个由拥有理念最多的哲学家执政的理想社会蓝图,为后世人们设计各种"乌托邦"提供了最初的模板,尽管其"哲人政体"思想具有一定的局限性,但其中所蕴涵的推崇理性主义信仰观、重视集体主义价值观和教育观等思想对我国构建社会主义和谐社会仍然具有积极的现实启示。     

孟子与柏拉图的国家教育理想比较

孟子的教育强调内化,把人性善———以善养人———服天下直接挂钩;柏拉图认为人性贪欲,教育注重外化,从教养灵魂———个人正义———到国家正义,以法律规定对公民监控教育。王权专制下的孟子其教育思想是开放的,希望以教育王天下;民主制度下的柏拉图主张封闭式的愚民教育。孟子和柏拉图的国家教育理想具有互补性,对当代教育乃至治国都有启发。