Interpreting Plato's Dialogues [Hardcover]

J. Angelo Corlett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2005

This book introduces readers to some key problems in understanding Plato's writings, and explores in-depth and critically the various ways of approaching Plato. The problem of how to interpret Plato's dialogues dates back to Plato's Academy, and Plato's interpreters ought not to forego this important discussion. For how one approaches texts will inevitably influence how one interprets their contents. This is especially true of Plato's writings, as they are, with few exceptions, dialogues. For the sake of historical accuracy, then, it is crucial that the most plausible interpretation of Plato's works is articulated and well defended. And this is precisely what this book provides: an articulation and critical evaluation of the various ways to approach Plato's dialogues, along with the articulation and defence of a plausible new way to interpret Plato. This new way of approaching Plato neither sees Plato's words as doctrines according to which the dialogues are to be interpreted, nor does it reduce Plato's dialogues to dramatic literature. Rather, it seeks to interpret the aim of Plato's writings as being influenced primarily by Plato's respect for his teacher, Socrates, and the manner in which Socrates engaged others in philosophical discourse. It places the focus of philosophical investigation of Plato's dialogues on the content of the dialogues themselves, and on the Socratic way of doing philosophy. This book contains a comprehensive bibliography of philosophical sources on the interpretation of Plato's corpus of writings, as well as some important works in the field of classical studies and philology. Interpreting Plato's Dialogues provides both an analytical, scholarly, and thorough treatment of what is perhaps the most long-standing problem in Plato studies. The book serves quite well as a companion text to Plato's dialogues and is of special interest to philosophers, classicists, and philologists.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Interpreting Plato's Dialogues makes a timely and important contribution to contemporary platonic scholarship... it provides an extended discussion of the vexed, yet vitally important question of why Plato wrote philosophy in the way he did. Not only does Angelo Corlett offer the reader careful analyses of the major competing approaches to Plato, explaining in what way each is attractive and in what each is flawed, he develops his own novel and insightful view of how we ought to read Plato. This penetrating discussion of what Plato took himself to be doing puts the entire platonic corpus in a new light. Thomas C. Brickhouse East Professor of the Humanities, Lynchburg College"

About the Author

J. Angelo Corlett is Professor of Philosophy at San Diego State University. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Ethics, Founder and President of the Society for Ethics, and a Fellow at the Institute for Ethics & Public Affairs. He has published four books and dozens of articles in academic journals, law reviews, and scholarly anthologies. His taught graduate courses include Plato, Theory of Knowledge, and Philosophy of Law.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Parmenides Publishing (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930972024
• ISBN-13: 978-1930972025
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,492,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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