Sophistry and Political Philosophy : Protagoras' Challenge to Socrates / Robert C. Bartlett.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bartlett, Robert C., Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Plato. Protagoras.

Plato.

Plato. Theaetetus.

Protagoras.

Sophists (Greek philosophy).

Political science--Philosophy.

Political science.

Philosophy, Ancient.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (255 pages)

Place of Publication:

Chicago : University of Chicago Press, [2016]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

One of the central challenges to contemporary political philosophy is the apparent impossibility of arriving at any commonly agreed upon "truths." As Nietzsche observed in his Will to Power, the currents of relativism that have come to characterize modern thought can be said to have been born with ancient sophistry. If we seek to understand the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary radical relativism, we must therefore look first to the sophists of antiquity-the most famous and challenging of whom is Protagoras. With Sophistry and Political Philosophy, Robert C. Bartlett provides the first close reading of Plato's two-part presentation of Protagoras. In the "Protagoras," Plato sets out the sophist's moral and political teachings, while the "Theaetetus," offers a distillation of his theoretical and epistemological arguments. Taken together, the two dialogues demonstrate that Protagoras is attracted to one aspect of conventional morality-the nobility of courage, which in turn is connected to piety. This insight leads Bartlett to a consideration of the similarities and differences in the relationship of political philosophy and sophistry to pious faith. Bartlett's superb exegesis offers a significant tool for understanding the history of philosophy, but, in tracing Socrates's response to Protagoras' teachings, Bartlett also builds toward a richer understanding of both ancient sophistry and what Socrates meant by "political philosophy."

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Introduction

Part One: On the Protagoras

Part Two: On the Theaetetus (142a1-183c7)

Conclusion

Notes

References

Index

Notes:

Previously issued in print: 2016.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9780226394312

022639431X

OCLC:

965543525