City and Soul in Plato's Republic [Paperback]

G. R. F. Ferrari (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0226244377 | ISBN-13: 978-0226244372 | Publication Date: September 15, 2005

Tracing a central theme of Plato's Republic, G. R. F. Ferrari reconsiders in this study the nature and purpose of the comparison between the structure of society and that of the individual soul. In four chapters, Ferrari examines the personalities and social status of the brothers Glaucon and Adeimantus, Plato's notion of justice, coherence in Plato's description of the decline of states, and the tyrant and the philosopher king—a pair who, in their different ways, break with the terms of the city-soul analogy.

In addition to acknowledging familiar themes in the interpretation of the Republic—the sincerity of its utopianism, the justice of the philosopher's return to the Cave—Ferrari provocatively engages secondary literature by Leo Strauss, Bernard Williams, and Jonathan Lear. With admirable clarity and insight, Ferrari conveys the relation between the city and the soul and the choice between tyranny and philosophy. City and Soul in Plato's Republic will be of value to students of classics, philosophy, and political theory alike.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The good thing about this little book is that it is controversial. Ferrari is not afraid to stick his neck out, and he forces one to re-examine what one thinks oneself."

(John Dillon Bryn Mawr Classical Review )

"This book is a model of interpretation as regards its sensitivity to dramatic context, its attention to what Plato writes and does not write, and its repect for the political, psychological, and metaphysical questions raised in the Republic."—Richard Polt, Classical Bulletin

(Richard Polt Classical Bulletin )

"Anyone interested in understanding the central feature of Plato''s Republic is well advised to come to terms with this slim but substantial book."—Rachel Singpurwalla, Ancient Philosophy

(Rachel Singpurwalla Ancient Philosophy )

About the Author

G. R. F. Ferrari is professor of classics at the University of California, Berkeley, the author of Listening to Cicadas: A Study of Plato's Phaedrus, and the editor of the Cambridge Companion to Plato's Republic.

Product Details

• Paperback: 130 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (September 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226244377
• ISBN-13: 978-0226244372
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,089,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very technical and very brilliant, August 10, 2006

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J. C. Woods "silvannus" (Malden, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: City and Soul in Plato's Republic (Paperback)

If you want a general introduction to Plato's Republic don't buy this book. There are many books better for your purposes. This, however, is an excellently argued critique of scholarly thought on a rich, but abstruse issue in Platonic studies. If you can follow the argument (i.e. if you know Republic and or the other dialogues very well) this is book is like Ariadne's thread leading you through the maze of Republic (or is that Phaedo). You won't have trouble with Ferrari's prose, which is as fine as ever (I also reviewed "Listening for Cicadas"). Anyway, it's a great read and though I just bought this copy I will probably have to get another soon. Too much marginalia and underlining.