Plato

History

Cited as an example of a mind whose thoughts any individual can access; also referenced for his view that poets utter wisdom they themselves do not understand.

Self-Reliance

Cited alongside Moses and Milton as a figure who disregarded books and traditions to speak his own mind.

Spiritual Laws

Referenced as having a 'secret doctrine' that cannot be hidden from like-minded wise men such as Bacon, Montaigne, and Kant across ages.

Love

Cited among the 'truly wise' who have taught the spiritual doctrine of love throughout the ages, linking personal affection to divine beauty.

Friendship

Referenced indirectly through the 'circle of godlike men and women' and the philosophical ideal of lofty intelligence, embodying the intellectual aspiration of friendship.

Heroism

Implied through the philosophical context of the 'heroic cast of character' and the ascent from the material, akin to Plotinus who is mentioned.

Circles

Mentioned in the context of his ideas being absorbed and transcended by later thought, exemplifying how even great philosophical systems are circles to be outgrown.

Art

Implied through the discussion of ideal forms and the pursuit of beauty from religion and love, aligning with Platonic philosophy.

The Poet

Cited among the 'highest minds' who explore the manifold symbolic meaning of sensuous facts.

Gifts

Referenced indirectly via the concept of 'likeness' as the true basis of connection, which echoes Platonic ideas of affinity.

Nature

Referenced as a pinnacle of spiritual and intellectual evolution, representing the preaching of the immortality of the soul, which is a distant but inevitable arrival in nature's progression.

Politics

Presented as a man of truth whose influence compels society to revolve around his ideas forever, exemplifying the eternal building on Ideas.

Nominalist and Realist

Referenced via 'the genius of the Platonists,' which is intoxicating yet whose particulars cannot be detached from their books, highlighting the gap between the representative and the truth represented.

New England Reformers

Cited for the idea that 'Unwillingly the soul is deprived of truth,' supporting the argument that no person is inherently evil, but rather blinded by a supposed necessity.