The Oxford Handbook Of Plato

Description

The Oxford Handbook of Plato provides in-depth and up-to-date discussions of a variety of topics and dialogues in twenty-one articles. The result is a useful reference to the man many consider the most important philosophical thinker in history. Plato is the best known, and continues to be the most widely studied, of all the ancient Greek philosophers. Each article serves several functions at once: they survey the lay of the land; they express and develop the authors' own views; they situate those views within a range of alternatives. This book contains articles on metaphysics, epistemology, love, language, ethics, politics, art and education. Individual articles are devoted to each of the following dialogues: the Republic, the Parmenides, the Theaetetus, the Sophist, the Timaeus, and the Philebus. There are also articles on Plato and the dialogue form; on Plato in his time and place; on the history of the Platonic corpus; on Aristotle's criticism of Plato, and on Plato and Platonism. Cover......Page 1 The oxford handbook of PLATO: Second Edition......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Preface to the Second Edition......Page 6 Table of Contents......Page 8 Contributors......Page 12 1. Introduction......Page 18 2. Preliminaries......Page 20 3. Apology, Crito, Euthyphro......Page 21 4. Socratic ethics......Page 24 5. Meno......Page 28 7. Phaedo: forms......Page 31 8. Republic: ethics......Page 35 9. Republic: division of the soul......Page 38 10. Republic: city and soul......Page 39 11. Republic: knowledge and belief......Page 40 12. Republic: political theory......Page 42 13. Political theory......Page 44 14. Parmenides......Page 45 15. Theaetetus......Page 48 16. Sophist......Page 50 17. Philebus......Page 51 18. Aristotle’s criticism of Plato; Platonism......Page 52 Bibliography......Page 53 1. Socrates and the Fifth-Century Enlightenment......Page 58 2. Philosophy, Politics, and Athens......Page 62 3. Light from the West......Page 65 4. Critique of Rhetoric and Rivalry with Isocrates......Page 69 5. Parmenides, Heracliteanism, and the Theory of Forms......Page 73 6. The Academy and the Late Dialogues......Page 77 7. The Laws in its Time and Place......Page 79 Bibliography......Page 82 1. Contents of the Corpus......Page 86 2. The Order of the Dialogues......Page 88 3. Questions about the Order of the Dialogues......Page 92 4. Performance and Publication......Page 94 5. The Dialogues and Plato’s Philosophy......Page 97 6. The Early Editions of the Corpus......Page 99 7. Early Arrangements of the Corpus......Page 101 8. The Manuscripts......Page 103 Bibliography......Page 106 1. The Dialogue Form: A Prospectus......Page 110 2. A Different View: Pictures and Frames......Page 111 3. The Interlocutors......Page 113 4. Identification and Transparency......Page 114 6. Doctrines and Impasses......Page 116 7. Philosophical Fiction......Page 118 8. Question and Answer......Page 120 9. Conversation and Dialectic......Page 122 10. The Psychology of Dialectic......Page 124 11. Detachment......Page 126 12. Ethical Rationalism......Page 128 13. Representation and Reading the Dialogues......Page 129 14. Intertextuality......Page 131 Bibliography......Page 133 The Examined Life......Page 136 The Disavowal of Knowledge......Page 138 The Virtuous Life......Page 140 3. The Euthyphro......Page 141 Proposed Answers to “What Is Piety?”......Page 142 The Priority of Definition......Page 145 What Should Euthyphro Do?......Page 148 Crito’s Advice......Page 149 Socrates’ Examination of Previous Logoi......Page 150 The Speech of the Laws......Page 152 Bibliography......Page 155 1. Reading the Protagoras and the Gorgias as a Pair......Page 158 2. Rhetoric and Teaching Virtue......Page 161 3. Desire and the Good 1: The Denial of Akrasia in the Protagoras......Page 163 4. Desire and the Good 2: Socrates and Polus in the Gorgias......Page 167 5. Desire and the Good 3: Socrates and Callicles in the Gorgias......Page 172 6. Conclusions......Page 174 Bibliography......Page 175 1. Summary......Page 178 2. The Meno’s Characterization of Knowledge......Page 180 3. Meno’s Paradox......Page 185 4. Plato’s Response......Page 188 5. Knowledge and True Belief in the Final Part of the Meno......Page 192 Bibliography......Page 196 1. Synopsis......Page 200 1.1 Death and Philosophy (61b–69e)......Page 201 1.2 Three Arguments about the Soul (70a–84b)......Page 202 1.4 Socrates’ Counterarguments, Intellectual Autobiography, and Final Argument (92a–107b)......Page 204 2. The Soul: Separation......Page 206 3. Immortality and Recollection......Page 209 4. Philosophy......Page 216 Bibliography......Page 220 1. A Bird’s-Eye View......Page 224 2. The Defense of Justice......Page 228 2.1 The Psychological Defense......Page 230 2.2 The Metaphysical Defense......Page 231 3. Politics......Page 233 3.1 The Organic Theory......Page 234 3.2.1 The Basic Argument......Page 236 3.2.2 A Critique of Democratic Athens......Page 237 3.2.3 Democracy in Book VIII......Page 238 4. Philosophy in the Central Books......Page 239 4.1 The Definition of Philosophy......Page 240 4.2 The Difficulty of the Transition......Page 242 4.3 Pretenders to Philosophy......Page 243 Bibliography......Page 244 Afterword:......Page 245 1. Audience, Narrators, Dates......Page 248 2. Overview......Page 249 3. Socrates’ Ill-Assorted Barrage......Page 250 4. Socrates’ Decisive Objection......Page 252 5. Socrates’ Challenge and the Separateness of Forms......Page 253 6. Socrates and Parmenides on Sharing......Page 255 7. New Concession: One over Many......Page 256 8. Self-Predication......Page 257 9. A Missing Premise. Review of the Third Man Argument......Page 259 11. Parmenides’s Diagnosis of Socrates’ Mistake. The “Greatest” Difficulty......Page 260 13. Pre-exercise Review......Page 263 14. Parmenides’s Directions for Exercise......Page 264 16. The Look of the Exercise......Page 265 17. Meinwald’s Account......Page 267 18. The Third Man Argument Again......Page 268 19. Some Merits of Meinwald’s Account......Page 270 20. The Parmenides and a Theory of Forms......Page 271 21. Appendix: Uniqueness......Page 273 Bibliography......Page 274 Chapter 11: The Theaetetus......Page 278 1. Knowledge Is Perception (K1)......Page 281 2. Knowledge as True Judgment (K2)......Page 286 3. Knowledge as True Judgment with an Account (K3)......Page 290 4. Conclusion......Page 299 Bibliography......Page 301 1. Principled Knowledge......Page 304 2. Principles in the Timaeus......Page 307 3. The Standards of Cosmological Argument......Page 311 4. The Most Proper Principle of Coming-into-Being......Page 313 5. Necessity: Another Principle Takes the Stage......Page 318 6. Conclusion: Bringing the Two Principles Together......Page 321 Bibliography......Page 322 Chapter 13: The Sophist on Statements, Predication, and Falsehood......Page 326 1. Lead-in to the Middle Part and Synopsis......Page 327 2.1 The Late-Learners’ Problem: Summary and Rival Diagnoses......Page 329 2.2.1 The “Communion of Kinds” (255e–256e): Plato’s “Four Quartets”......Page 332 2.2.4 The Optimists’ View: Distinguishing Meanings or Uses of Esti......Page 334 2.3.1 Solution 1......Page 335 2.4 Alternative Interpretations: Frede and Crivelli......Page 337 2.5 Two Remaining Questions......Page 341 3.1 The Account of What a Statement Is......Page 342 3.2 The Account of True and False Statements......Page 344 3.3 How to Understand “Different” in the Formulae for Falsehood? Three Readings......Page 345 3.5 Which Feature of the Account of Falsity Is More Important?......Page 349 Bibliography......Page 352 Chapter 14: The Philebus......Page 354 1. Characters and Setting......Page 355 2. The Course of the Discussion......Page 357 3. Metaphysics and Methodology......Page 362 4. Some Thoughts on Dialectic......Page 365 5. Pleasure......Page 367 6. The Cluster of Socrates......Page 371 7. Sketch of a Finale......Page 373 Bibliography......Page 374 Chapter 15: Plato’s Laws......Page 376 1. The Right Way to Legislate......Page 377 2. The Hierarchy of Goods......Page 379 3. Courage......Page 382 4. Moderation......Page 384 5. Why Rank Courage as a Divine Good?......Page 388 6. Justice as the Entirety of Virtue......Page 391 7. The Hierarchy of Goods Revisited......Page 392 8. Aristotle’s Debt to the Laws......Page 393 Bibliography......Page 394 Chapter 16: The Epistemology and Metaphysics of Socrates......Page 396 1. Socratic Ignorance......Page 397 2. Complete Ignorance?......Page 398 3. Examples......Page 400 4. Senses of “Know”......Page 401 5. Limited Knowledge......Page 403 6. The Priority of Definitional Knowledge......Page 404 7. The Elenchus......Page 405 8. The Problem of the Elenchus......Page 406 9. Responding to the Problem of the Elenchus......Page 407 10. Rejecting the Problem of the Elenchus Altogether......Page 408 11. Testing Beliefs for Consistency......Page 409 12. Rejecting the Priority of Definitional Knowledge......Page 410 13. An Aporetic Reading......Page 411 14. The Meno Response to the Problem of the Elenchus......Page 413 15. Metaphysics......Page 414 16. Soul-Body Dualism......Page 416 Bibliography......Page 417 1. Socrates and Plato......Page 420 2. Socrates and the Sophists......Page 422 3. Socrates’ Denial of Akrasia......Page 426 4. Desire and the Good......Page 432 5. Wisdom, Virtue, and Happiness......Page 436 6. Socrates and Plato Revisited......Page 442 Bibliography......Page 444 Chapter 18: Plato’s Epistemology......Page 446 1. Meno......Page 449 2. Phaedo......Page 455 3. Republic......Page 457 4. Theaetetus......Page 463 5. Conclusion......Page 468 Bibliography......Page 470 1. Identifying Our Topic......Page 472 2. Is There a Theory of Forms? And Does That Theory Develop over the Course of Plato’s Writings?......Page 474 3. The Language of Forms......Page 476 4. What Forms Are There?......Page 477 5. How, In General, Are Forms Characterized?......Page 482 6. Where Are Forms?......Page 487 7. What, Metaphysically Speaking, Are Forms? and What, For That Matter, Are “Particulars,” The Perceptible Counterpartsto Forms?......Page 489 Bibliography......Page 495 1.1 The Linguistic Dimension of the Theory of Forms......Page 498 2. Names in the Cratylus......Page 502 3. Semantics and Ontology in the Sophist......Page 509 4. Conclusion......Page 520 Bibliography......Page 521 1. Protagoras......Page 524 2. Gorgias......Page 527 3. Phaedo and the Immortality of the Soul......Page 531 4. Republic......Page 534 4.1 The Principle of Opposites......Page 535 4.2 The Examples of Conflict......Page 538 4.3 Comments on the Argument......Page 540 5. Desire and the Good......Page 544 Bibliography......Page 545 Chapter 22: Plato’s Ethics......Page 548 Bibliography......Page 565 1. Eros and Philia......Page 568 2. Eros and Desire......Page 570 3. Birth in Beauty......Page 571 4. Self and Others......Page 574 5. Aristophanes and Diotima......Page 576 6. The Ascent to Beauty......Page 577 7. Equal Relationships: Diotima Transformed......Page 581 8. The Love of Individuals......Page 582 9. Bad Eros......Page 584 10. Seduction in the Phaedrus, Homosexual Intercourse in the Laws......Page 587 11. Final Thoughts......Page 589 Bibliography......Page 591 1. Introduction......Page 592 2. The “Socratic” Plato......Page 593 2.1 Coercion......Page 597 2.2 Benefit......Page 600 2.3 Stability......Page 601 2.4 Perfection......Page 602 3.1 The Phaedo......Page 603 3.2 Coercion and Benefit......Page 604 3.4 Perfection......Page 605 3.5 The Republic......Page 606 3.6 Coercion and Benefit......Page 607 3.7 Stability......Page 610 4.1 The Statesman......Page 611 4.2 The Laws......Page 613 4.5 Perfection......Page 617 Bibliography......Page 618 Chapter 25: Plato on Education and Art......Page 622 1.1 The Teachers......Page 623 1.2 The Students......Page 629 2. Ideal Education......Page 631 2.1 Musical Education......Page 633 2.2 Mathematical and Dialectical Education......Page 637 3. Educational Innovations in the Laws?......Page 639 Bibliography......Page 642 1. Educational Theology......Page 644 2. The Shape of God......Page 645 3. Other Divine Attributes......Page 647 4. Traditional Gods......Page 648 5. The Laws......Page 651 5.1 Kinds of Motion (893b–894c)......Page 652 5.2 The Equation of Self-Motion with Soul (895c–896c)......Page 653 5.5 Cosmic Soul Is God (898c–899c)......Page 654 6.1 Bad Cosmic Soul......Page 655 6.2 Bad Human Soul......Page 657 6.3 Matter......Page 658 7. Conspectus......Page 659 Bibliography......Page 660 1. Aristotle as a Source of Data Regarding Plato’s Philosophy......Page 662 2. Aristotle’s Criticisms of Platonic Forms......Page 665 3. Aristotle’s Complaints in Metaphysics M 9......Page 669 4. The Source of Aristotle’s Complaint: Two Questionable Contentions......Page 672 5. A Noncategorial Approach: Forms as Archai......Page 678 6. Conclusions......Page 681 Bibliography......Page 682 1. Introduction......Page 686 2. The Origins and Evolution of Historical Platonism......Page 690 3. Epistemological Foundations......Page 702 Bibliography......Page 709 Texts and Translations......Page 714 Background and Context......Page 717 General Books......Page 718 The Early Dialogues: Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Method......Page 720 The Early Dialogues: Ethics, Politics, Religion and The Soul......Page 721 Meno......Page 723 Phaedo and the Theory of Forms......Page 724 Republic: General......Page 726 Republic: Metaphysics and Epistemology......Page 727 Republic: Ethics, Psychology, and Religion......Page 728 Republic: Politics and the Ideally Just State......Page 729 Symposium, Phaedrus, and Platonic Love......Page 730 Parmenides......Page 731 Theaetetus......Page 732 Timaeus......Page 734 Sophist......Page 736 Statesman......Page 737 Philebus......Page 738 Laws......Page 739 Later Platonism......Page 740 Index Locorum......Page 744 Index Nominum......Page 773 General Index......Page 781