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Overview
While the dramatic approach to Plato's dialogues has become popular over the last decade, little attention has been paid to the poetic quality of Plato's writing, and the received view of Platonic philosophy still depends on an unpoetic and largely literalist reading of the dialogues. The authors of this volume focus on the text of selected dialogues to identify the thread that unifies each of them from a literary point of view. The conclusions they reach in practicing this kind of reading are diametrically opposed to the largest stream of Platonic scholarship and show the fallacy of important metaphysical, epistemological, political, and ethical positions frequently attributed to Plato.
Synopsis
Poetic and dramatic readings of selected Platonic dialogues show the fallacy of the philosophical and political positions usually attributed to Plato.
Booknews
With twin polemical and scholarly introductions, philosophers Fendt and Rozema (both of the U. of Nebraska-Kearney) narrate a fable about twin brothers who go down divergent paths upon reading the respective Dialogues of Socrates and Plato: one embracing science and the other art and criticism. In the seven essays that emanate from this starting point, this academic duo seeks to demonstrate not that Plato made errors, but that those unwilling to read Plato's dialogues as poetic works err in their understanding of Platonic doctrine. Specific works contemplated include Plato's Ion (his defense of poetry), Republic, Meno, Theatetus, Euthyphro, and Nomoi. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.