Mutual scaffolding

unifying myth and philosophy

pp. 33-52

in: Omid Tofighian, Myth and philosophy in Platonic dialogues, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2016

Abstract

Tofighian identifies significant examples of exchange, appropriation, and influence between myth and philosophy in modern scholarship. He outlines examples from various disciplines in order to assess different varieties of the mythos/logos dichotomy in Plato scholarship. Tofighian highlights the overlapping concepts, themes, and motifs that drive research in different areas of study. Challenging the notion of an authoritative discourse, he maintains that the parameters separating myth and philosophy remain ambiguous and problematic. Tofighian reconceptualizes the relationship between myth and argument as a revolving dialectical circle and uses the term "mutual scaffolding" for his method. He elucidates how this approach helps interpret certain situations in which two distinct genres are presented as equally valid, integral to the dialogues, and contingent upon each other.