Plato and Chesterton and the totality of man
Main Article Content
Abstract
It is possible to unite Chesterton and Plato in their mutual desire to understand the human being in its totality, recognizing the methodological and theoretical difference of them both. Philosophy, in Plato’s reasoning, would be a posture of deep and non-manipulative questioning of objectively put data or that the use of reason could not be imposed secluded from an experience of life. Philosopher is a
man who is game in the pursuit and practice of virtue, of Good and of the One; search for unity as human integration, not content only with its multiplicity as a being. Chesterton, in spite of not being a philosopher, approaches to Plato by affirming that the integral man must perceive its transcendent reality and not merely material. An approximation to the notion of wholeness is, in fact, what is of great interest to the English author as to his anthropology and ethical notions: he seems to want to reclaim the category of the human being in his entire dimension - both in its natural and spiritual condition - and in its elements. Platonic heritage echoes in Chesterton through Christian heritage, and his intent seems to be a Christian apology for the recovery of the entirety of man, which had been fragmented by modern conquests.
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license is the most permissive Creative Commons license. It allows others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon your work, even for commercial purposes, as long as they give you credit for the original creation.
How to Cite
References
ARISTÓTELES. Metafísica. São Paulo: Loyola, 2005. v. II.
CHESTERTON, Gilbert Keith. Ortodoxia. São Paulo: Mundo Cristão, 2008 [1908].
CHESTERTON, Gilbert Keith. O Homem Eterno. São Paulo: Mundo Cristão, 2010 [1925].
CLARKE, Samuel. A Demonstration of the Being and Attributes of God and Other Writings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998 [1705].
DESCARTES, Rene. Discurso do Método. São Paulo: Martins Fintes, 2009.
DESCARTES, Rene. Meditações em Filosofia Primeira. São Paulo: Editora Unicamp, 2008.
FREUD, Sigmund. Futuro de uma Ilusão. In.: ______. O Futuro de uma Ilusão, o Mal Estar na Civilização e Outros Trabalhos. Rio de Janeiro: Imago, 2006 [1927]. v. XXI.
HEIDEGGER, Martin. Carta sobre o humanismo. Lisboa: Guimarães, 1987.
HEGEL, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich. Introdução às Lições sobre História da Filosofia. Porto: Porto Editora, 1995.
HUME, David. An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010 [1757].
HUME, David. A Treatise of Human Nature. London: Penguin Classics, 1985 [1739-1740].
HUME, David. História natural da religião. São Paulo: Unesp, 2005.
JASPERS, Karl. Iniciação Filosófica. Lisboa: Guimarães, 1980.
KANT, Immanuel. Crítica da Razão Pura. Lisboa: Calouste Gulbenkian, 2010.
LIMA VAZ, Henrique Claúdio de. Antropologia Filosófica II. São Paulo: Loyola, 1992.
LIMA VAZ, Henrique Claúdio de. Ontologia e História. São Paulo: Duas Cidades, 1968.
LOCKE, John. Segundo Tratado sobre o Governo Civil. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 2005 [1689].
LODGE, Rupert Clendon. Plato and the Judge of Conduct. International Journal of Ethics. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, vol. 31, n˚ 1, oct., 1920, pp. 51-65.
MACHIAVELLI, Niccolo. Il Principe. Milano: Garzanti Editore, 2008.
MARX, Karl. Ideologia Alemã. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 2007.
NIETZSCHE, Friedrich Wilhelm. Crepúsculo dos Ídolos. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2010 [1888].
PLATÃO. Fédon. In: ______. Diálogos Socráticos. Bauru: Edipro, 2008. v. III.
PLATONE. La Repubblica. Milano: Oscar Mondadori, 2010.
REALE, Giovanni. Pré-Socráticos e Orfismo. São Paulo: Loyola, 2009. v. I.
REALE, Giovanni. Platão. São Paulo: Loyola, 2007. v. III.
SARTRE, Jean-Paul. O existencialismo é um humanismo. 4 ed. São Paulo: Vozes, 2012.
FRAZER, James George. The Golden Bough. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009 [1890].