Plato's progeny how Socrates and Plato still captivate the modern mind Melissa Lane.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lane, M. S. (Melissa S.), author.

Series:

Classical inter/faces.

Classical inter/faces

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Socrates--Influence.

Socrates.

Plato--Influence.

Plato.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (176 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London Duckworth 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Socrates wrote nothing; Plato's accounts of Socrates helped to establish western politics, ethics, and metaphysics. Both have played crucial and dramatically changing roles in western culture. In the last two centuries, the triumph of democracy has led many to side with the Athenians against a Socrates whom they were right to kill. Meanwhile the Cold War gave us polar images of Plato as both a dangerous totalitarian and an escapist intellectual. And visions of Plato have proliferated at the heart of postmodern critiques of the very idea of metaphysics and politics. Plato's Progeny begins with an account of modern responses to the trial of Socrates and the controversial question of Socrates' relation to Plato. At its centre are two chapters exploring the idea of Platonic origins in and for philosophy, and of Platonic foundations for philosophical politics. Exploring unfamiliar as well as familiar invocations of Plato, Melissa Lane argues that twentieth-century ideological battles have obscured the importance of Socratic individualism, the nature of Platonic ethics, and the value of Platonic politics. Succinct and clearly written, this is an ideal guide for everyone interested in the way philosophers are still writing footnotes to Plato."--Bloomsbury Publishing

Socrates wrote nothing; Plato's accounts of Socrates helped to establish western politics, ethics, and metaphysics. Both have played crucial and dramatically changing roles in western culture. In the last two centuries, the triumph of democracy has led many to side with the Athenians against a Socrates whom they were right to kill. Meanwhile the Cold War gave us polar images of Plato as both a dangerous totalitarian and an escapist intellectual. And visions of Plato have proliferated at the heart of postmodern critiques of the very idea of metaphysics and politics. Plato's Progeny begins with an account of modern responses to the trial of Socrates and the controversial question of Socrates' relation to Plato. At its centre are two chapters exploring the idea of Platonic origins in and for philosophy, and of Platonic foundations for philosophical politics. Exploring unfamiliar as well as familiar invocations of Plato, Melissa Lane argues that twentieth-century ideological battles have obscured the importance of Socratic individualism, the nature of Platonic ethics, and the value of Platonic politics. Succinct and clearly written, this is an ideal guide for everyone interested in the way philosophers are still writing footnotes to Plato.

Contents:

Note on References and Bibliography

Acknowledgements

1. Introduction

2. Who Was Socrates?

3. Plato on Forms and Foundations: the First Metaphysician?

4. The Political Plato: the First Totalitarian, the First Communist, the First Idealist?

5. Conclusion

Notes

Further Reading

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 155-158) and index

ISBN:

9781472502308

1472502302

9781849669313

1849669317

9781472502292

1472502299

OCLC:

902958401