Dear Members of the Ascend Book Club,
Plato’s Ion is the last of the short, strange, so-called forgotten dialogues we are reading in the Summer of 2026 in anticipation of the Republic. Bearing the traditional subtitle “On the Iliad,” the work tells of the celebrated rhapsode, Ion, fresh from a poetic victory, claiming that he speaks more beautifully about Homer than any other human being. Socrates asks whether that gift is a techne—a craft or art—or a divine possession. The dialogue is aporetic, as most of these short dialogues are, but this one leaves the reader a bit more perplexed than Hipparchus or the Lovers but maybe not as bad as Hippias Minor.
Here is everything you receive in the guide:
A 7-page guide (3000+ words)
An introductory letter from Dcn. Garlick
Detailed outline of the Ion
Preliminary reading questions
10 thorough questions on Plato’s Ion
We had a full house to discuss this on the podcast. I am grateful to Dr. Frank Grabowski, Mr. Thomas Lackey, Mr. Jack Drury, and Mr. Erik Rostad of the Book of Titans Podcast for joining me to explore this important dialogue. The conversation pressed two tensions that matter far beyond this short text: whether poetry is an art or an inspiration; and whether poetry or philosophy is the best teacher of mankind.
Moreover, a careful read might even conclude that Socrates, not Ion, speaks about Homer best, and that Plato, not Ion, best conveys knowledge through poetry. The Ion is another excellent appetizer to the Republic, especially the conversation in Book Ten on the poets as poor imitators of reality.
Below is the full guide available to download.