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Dear Editors, 16 May, 2320
Until recently - until yesterday, in fact, if I am
not mistaken - if you Googled Julius Tomin, the references under my name ended
with an item from the Cherwell Archive. Let me quote the last paragraph:
"Tomin's connection with Oxford is complicated. In 1979, responding to an invitation from Tomin, several academics travelled to Prague (in solidarity with him) to lecture at Tomin's unofficial seminars. These were repeatedly disrupted by the police, and some of the academics interrogated and expelled, though not injured. Tomin alleges that even at this early stage some of the visitors were keen to expose his ability to translate and read aloud in Greek, in an effort to discredit him."
The last sentence does not make sense as it stands,
but it can be elucidated. In April 1980 Dr Anthony Kenny, the Master of
Balliol, was to give a talk in my seminar on Aristotle's Ethics. Accompanied by
his wife, he came to my seminar at about 5'30; the seminar began at 6 pm. Kenny
said that his talk was going to be focussed on a passage from the Nicomachean and
the Eudemian Ethics. He wanted me to translate these two
passages for the students into Czech at the beginning of the seminar. I never
read the Eudemian Ethics, wanted to read the Eudemian passage
at least once, and so I left Kenny and his wife with my wife, and retired into
the kitchen. I barely managed to read the text once when my wife summoned me to
open the seminar: 'The room is packed! You must come!'
Kenny opened his talk by addressing the audience:
'My talk will be focussed on two passages from Aristotle; one from the Nicomachean and
one from the Eudemian Ethics. In the Nicomachean passage happiness
consists in contemplative activity, and philosophy is therefore the primary
source of happiness. In the Eudemian passage happiness consists of an ideal
functioning of every part of soul. I shall argue that the Eudemian passage is
critical of the Nicomachean passage. A person who organized his life entirely
with a view to the promotion of philosophical speculation, unless called upon to do so, would not be wise but cunning. The type of person whom
many regard as the hero of the Nicomachean Ethics turns out,
by the standards of the Eudemian Ethics, to be vicious and ignoble
character. The two Ethics have three books in common. These
three books are printed only within the framework of the Nicomachean
Ethics, which is generally viewed as the product of Aristotle's mature
thought. By stylometric investigations I proved that these three books were
originally published as part of the Eudemian Ethics. I view only
the Eudemian Ethics as Aristotle's.'
After this introduction Kenny turned to me:
'Julius, would you translate these two passages into Czech?' I replied: 'I
shall read each sentence in the Greek original, then give its meaning in
Czech.'
After I finished reading the two passages, I opened the discussion by
opposing Kenny: 'In the Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle views the
life in philosophy as the source of happiness because the activity of intellect
is the highest one. Why should I see it as opposed to the Eudemian passage? May
not Aristotle be pointing to the theory fully developed in the Nicomachean
Ethics when he says in our Eudemian passage that the end is the best
as being the guiding and governing principle, since it is the best and
ultimate, for the sake of which one must live in order to attain happiness? In
the Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle gives reasons why philosophy
is the source of good life; it is most continuous and independent of external
circumstances. Even if deprived of exchanging ideas with his colleagues, a
philosopher may continue to do philosophy. This is especially important for us
in Prague who may face imprisonment any day. It further reminds me of
Socrates. In the Apology he says: "as long as I live and
as long as I am able, I will not stop doing philosophy".'
Kenny did not oppose my 'Socratic' interpretation,
but questioned instead the philosophic credentials of Socrates: 'Wouldn't you
consider Socrates a good man, but poor philosopher, Plato a questionable
character, but a great philosopher?' I could not accept this: 'You appear to be
drawing a dividing line through Plato works; what is below that line is not
worth being called philosophy, and it's Socrates, what is above that line is
philosophy, is Plato. I do not draw any such dividing line through Plato's
dialogues.'
At that moment the police marched in.
In what way this elucidates the Cherwell Archive
claim 'Tomin alleges that even at this early stage some of the visitors were
keen to expose his ability to translate and read aloud in Greek, in an effort
to discredit him.'?
Let us see what Kenny's idea did to me, and what it did to him. To me he gave a chance to do something I never did before, something I really enjoyed, But what did he do to himself?
Obviously, it never
occurred to him that what I did could be done. He addressed me with the task of
translating those two passages as if it was something regularly done in the
seminars of classicists and classical philosophers; I was to be exposed as
someone who pretends to be able to do classical philosophy when in fact I do
not even understand the Greek original.
Is this an unwarranted speculation on my part?
Let me end by two quotations from The
Velvet Philosophers of Barbara Day:
1/ 'Part of the purpose of Anthony Kenny's visit to
the Czechoslovak Embassy on 19th March had been to ask for clear guidelines as
to what was and was not permitted to academic visitors to Czechoslovakia. Dr
Kenny also needed to know on his own behalf, as he and his wife were due to
leave for Prague in the second week of April.
2/ Anthony Kenny and his American-born wife, who
had been the first to be driven off to the police headquarters, were held until
three in the morning and interrogated in separate rooms ... The Kennys were
delivered to the border-crossing with West Germany, and carrying their luggage,
walked through the woods of Rozvadov in the frosty dawn of an April morning.'
...
I would like to present at Oxford 'Dating and
interpretation of Plato's Meno'. I hope that I will be given an
opportunity to do so, and that no more of my protests will have to take
place.
face imprisonment any day. It further reminds me of
Socrates. In the Apology he says: "as long as I live and
as long as I am able I will not stop doing philosophy".'
Kenny did not oppose my 'Socratic' interpretation,
but questioned instead the philosophic credentials of Socrates: 'Wouldn't you
consider Socrates a good man, but poor philosopher, Plato o questionable
character, but a great philosopher?' I could not accept this: 'You appear to be
drawing a dividing line through Plato works; what is below that line is not
worth being called Philosophy, and it's Socrates, what is above that line is
philosophy, is Plato. I do not draw any such dividing line through Plato's
dialogues.'
At that moment the police marched in.
In what way this elucidates the Cherwell Archive
claim 'Tomin alleges that even at this early stage some of the visitors were
keen to expose his ability to translate and read aloud in Greek, in an effort
to discredit him.'?
Let us see what Kenny's idea did to me, and what it
did to him. To me he gave a chance to do something I never did before,
something I really enjoyed, But what did he do to himself? Obviously, it never
occurred to him that what I did could be done. He addressed me with the task of
translating those two passages as if it was something regularly done in the
seminars of classicists and classical philosophers; I was to be exposed as
someone who pretends to be able to do classical philosophy when in fact I do
not even understand the Greek original.
Is this an unwarranted speculation on my part?
Let me end by two quotations from The
Velvet Philosophers of Barbara Day:
1/ 'Part of the purpose of Anthony Kenny's visit to
the Czechoslovak Embassy on 19th March had been to ask for clear guidelines as
to what was and was not permitted to academic visitors to Czechoslovakia. Dr
Kenny also needed to know on his own behalf, as he and his wife were due to
leave for Prague in the second week of April.
2/ Anthony Kenny and his American-born wife, who
had been the first to be driven off to the police headquarters, were held until
three in the morning and interrogated in separate rooms ... The Kennys were
delivered to the border-crossing with West Germany, and carrying their luggage,
walked through the woods of Rozvadov in the frosty dawn of an April morning.'
...
I would like to present at Oxford 'Dating and
interpretation of Plato's Meno'. I hope that I will be given an
opportunity to do so, and that no more of my protests will have to take
place.
Best wishes,
Julius Tomin
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