Plato's Charmides and the Socratic ideal of rationality / W. Thomas Schmid.

Format:

• Book

Author/Creator:

• Schmid, Walter T.

Series:

• SUNY series in ancient Greek philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

• Plato. Charmides.

Physical Description:

xv, 225 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Albany, N.Y. : State University of New York Press, [1998]

Summary:

In this book, W. Thomas Schmid demonstrates that the Charmides -- a platonic dialogue seldom referenced in contemporary studies -- is a microcosm of Socratic philosophy. He explores the treatment of the Socratic dialectic, the relation between it and the Socratic notion of self-knowledge, the Socratic ideal of rationality and self-restraint, the norm of holistic and moral health, the interpretation of the soul as the rational self, the Socratic attitude toward democracy, and the connections between dialectic autonomy and moral community. Schmid argues that the depiction and account of sophrosune -- human moderation -- in the Charmides adumbrates Plato's vision of the life of critical reason, and of its uneasy relation to political life in the ancient city.

Contents:

• 2. Traditional Moderation 20
• 3. Self-Knowledge 40
• 4. The Socratic Ideal of Rationality 61
• 5. Metaphysics 85
• 6. Knowledge of Knowledge 105
• 7. Utopia, Dystopia, and Knowledge of the Good 124
• Appendix A. The Structure of the Charmides 153
• Appendix B. The Charmides and the Republic 159
• Appendix C. Logos and Ergon in the Charmides 165.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-212) and index.

ISBN:

• 0791437639
• 0791437647

OCLC:

37269432