Leonardo Amoroso

In the introduction of his translation of Plato’s work, Schleiermacher argued that Plato, though the literary genre of his own creation, would succeed in thwarting the evils of writing (which Plato himself exposed), and would use it as a maieutic device. Actually a dialogue, unlike a treatise, does not convey outcomes, but – Schleiermacher states – urges the reader forward independent reflection and, at the same time, guides him. Kierkegaard with the play of his pseudonymous works (together with the direct communication of his religious speeches) means to urge the single individual into an existential standing, pulling him up from the impersonality he has sunk into, and meanwhile guiding him. The analogies between the two cases are so strong that it might even be assumed that Kierkegaard had been inspired by Schleiermacher’s interpretation of Plato, which he was familiar with. Keywords: Kierkegaard, Plato, Schleiermacher, communication, writing, maieutics