It’s pretty close to a Haiku. That wasn’t intentional.

Someone who subscribes to the philosophy of Plato. In this case it describes someone like Ishmael, who is more inclined towards philosophical questions than practical problems. '

The “Phaedon” is Plato’s Phaedo, in which Socrates ruminates on the afterlife, knowing that he will be executed the following day. “Bowditch” is The American Practical Navigator by Nathaniel Bowditch, an astronomer and mathematician who is considered the father of modern maritime navigation. It seems like Ishmael is drawing a distinction between quals (people who can’t count) and quants (people who can’t read), but he’s really distinguishing between dreamers and doers.