Plato is a philosophical writer of unusual and ingenious versatility. His works engage in argument but are also full of allegory, imagery, myth, paradox and intertextuality. He astutely characterises the participants whom he portrays in conversation. Sometimes he composes fictive dialogues in dramat...

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Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Schofield, Malcolm 1942- (Author)
Format:	Electronic eBook
Language:	English
Published:	Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2023
Subjects:	Plato Plato > v427-v347 Philosophy, Ancient Literarische Technik Sprache
Online Access:	DE-12 DE-473 Volltext
Summary:	Plato is a philosophical writer of unusual and ingenious versatility. His works engage in argument but are also full of allegory, imagery, myth, paradox and intertextuality. He astutely characterises the participants whom he portrays in conversation. Sometimes he composes fictive dialogues in dramatic form while at other times he does so as narratives. In this book, world-renowned scholar Malcolm Schofield illustrates the variety of the literary resources that Plato deploys to achieve his philosophical purposes. He draws key passages for discussion particularly, but not only, from Republic and the less well-known Laws and also shows how reconstructing the original historical context of a dialogue and of its assumed readership is essential to understanding Plato's approach. The book will open the eyes of readers of all levels of expertise to Plato's masterly ability as a writer and how an understanding of this is crucial if we are to appreciate his philosophy
Item Description:	Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 01 Aug 2023) Plato in his time and place -- When and why did Plato write narrated dialogues? -- Against system: the historical Plato in the mid-Victorian era -- Callicles' return: Gorgias 509-22 reconsidered -- Likeness and likenesses in the Parmenides -- The elusiveness of Cratylus in the Cratylus -- The noble lie -- The cave -- Religion and philosophy in the laws -- The laws' two projects -- Plato, Xenophon, and the Laws of Lycurgus -- Injury, injustice, and the involuntary in the Laws -- Plato's marionette -- Paradoxes of childhood and play in Heraclitus and Plato
Physical Description:	1 Online-Ressource (x, 308 Seiten)
ISBN:	9781108672603
DOI:	10.1017/9781108672603