The Mutiny of the Elsinore

Plato's later dialogues reveal a shift in focus from transcendental speculation to practical reasoning, highlighting the influence of contemporary philosophical schools that challenge logical discourse. In works like the Sophist and Statesman, he combines multiple subjects and employs distant analogies, though this sometimes leads to a decline in dramatic power and character engagement. The absence of Socrates and the emergence of new adversaries reflect his growing concern with the sophistry undermining philosophical inquiry, as he emphasizes classification and the distinction between language and reality.