Plato: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) [Paperback]

Bernard Williams (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415923956 | ISBN-13: 978-0415923958 | Publication Date: July 1999 | Edition: 1

Philosophy is one of the most intimidating and difficult of disciplines, as any of its students can attest. This book is an important entry in a distinctive new series from Routledge: The Great Philosophers. Breaking down obstacles to understanding the ideas of history's greatest thinkers, these brief, accessible, and affordable volumes offer essential introductions to the great philosophers of the Western tradition from Plato to Wittgenstein. In just 64 pages, each author, a specialist on his subject, places the philosopher and his ideas into historical perspective. Each volume explains, in simple terms, the basic concepts, enriching the narrative through the effective use of biographical detail. And instead of attempting to explain the philosopher's entire intellectual history, which can be daunting, this series takes one central theme in each philosopher's work, using it to unfold the philosopher's thoughts.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Once in a while, a publication comes along that on first sight seems oddly out of place but on second viewing is admirably suited to its purpose. This little series of biographical summaries of the thoughts of 24 Western philosophers from Democritus to Derrida is admirable not only for its reasonable price but even more for the intelligence and clarity of the writing. Each volume has been prepared by an expert in the subject, and the result is a series of well-drawn and exceptionally useful pocket-size (4.5 x 7 inches) sketches of major figures in the history of Western thought. The level is such that no special background in philosophy is required to understand the concepts discussed. Each volume also contains a short bibliography, some of which refer to electronic journals or web sites. Most of the individuals chosen for the series come as no surprise, e.g., Descartes, Hegel, Kant, Nietzsche, Locke, Hume, Plato, and Socrates. But there are a few unexpected choices, like Alan Turing and Karl PopperAalthough on further consideration, they make more sense. Turing's influence on mathematics and on the development of computers has long been recognized, but his 1936 paper "On Compatible Numbers," which appeared in the Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society in 1936-37, influenced studies in the philosophy of mind. Popper's development of the concept of "historicism" in such works as The Open Society and Its Enemies and The Poverty of Historicism significantly influenced 20th-century political thought. Ultimately, this set should be in every academic and public library as well as many school libraries.ATerry C. Skeats, Bishop's Univ. Lib., Lennoxville, Quebec
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 57 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415923956
• ISBN-13: 978-0415923958
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,879,010 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intro to Plato, August 28, 2002

By 

Pumpkin King - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plato: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) (Paperback)

This book comes in at a little under 50 pages (45), and like Anthony Gottlieb with "Socrates," Bernard Williams is able to cover quite a lot of ground in that short space. Because of the limits imposed by its brevity, there is not much focus on Plato's personal life, or the context within which his ideas were born. Instead there is an excellent exploration of Plato's writings that weaves through his texts and gives the reader an idea for how to approach his works. It is not meant to be a complete and thorough analysis, but as an introduction or accompaniment to Plato's dialogues, it is a valuable book(let).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's all Plato's fault..., July 15, 2008

By 

ewomack "ewomack" (MN USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Plato: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) (Paperback)

Plato dominates western philosophy. This minuscule introduction's first sentence says it all: "Plato invented the subject of philosophy as we know it." Though this heady and socially unacceptable field (just say "I'm a philosopher" to someone at a party) has morphed and developed in numerous ways since the days of Pericles, Plato still stands at its helm. That so many of his works survive - many of his predecessor's remain in fragments - and that the content of these works gave rise to a superstar, Socrates, likely accounts for his historic stature. And as this excellent little book points out, his works were mainly meant for reflection, not dogmatic entrenchment. They also take the form of dialogues, avoiding the turgid prose of philosophy's later years. As such, Plato remains one of antiquity's most accessible sages. Some passages are hilarious even today. But accessibility does not imply simplicity. Many of Plato's works contain mind-numbing reflections on ethics, epistemology, politics, metaphysics, and ontology. That's where this 46-page almost-a-pamphlet comes to the rescue. Bernard Williams' lucid text provides a solid foundation for some of Plato's basic and most famous ideas.

The book begins with an overview of Plato. He was no professor, though the word "Academia" derives from his "Academy." He apparently had a mistrust for writing and preferred discourse, "dialectic," or just plain conversation. Writing cannot develop whereas talking can give rise to ideas in real time. His dialogues, though written, manifest this preference, using the infamous "corrupter of youth" Socrates as their centerpiece (with a few exceptions, such as "The Laws" where Socrates does not appear). Williams also writes about the dialogues' historical order, dividing them into the standard "early," "middle," and "late" periods. Historians ordered these undated works by the progression of ideas and "stylometry." The discussion then jumps into the dialogues, such as "Laches," "Protagoras," "Meno," "Symposium," and "The Republic." Topics such as the teachability of virtue, recollection of knowledge ("anamnesis"), Plato's bias against democracy, Socrates' attempted refutation of Callicles' self-interest, justice, the state, the 3 parts of the soul, and theories about how virtue gets transmitted from one generation into another get packed into the dense, but short, text. Then an enlightening exposition of Plato's famous "cave allegory" follows (Williams quotes the original passage in full), which leads right into the "Forms" (which Williams claims was never "a theory") and "the Line." This is classic Plato. Anyone trying to tackle his dialogues should have these concepts internalized. In his late works, such as "Sophist," Plato seems to refute the unchanging, eternal Forms. Refutations and criticisms abound.

At book's end, when Williams lists the attributes of "great philosophers," things he claims Plato manifests in droves, he leaves off "self-criticism." Regardless, Plato's legacy amounts to a whole litany of ideas, writings, and teaching. He started it all. Philosophy is his fault. This infinitesimal but highly readable tract puts the blame, and credit, where it belongs: square on the head of one of philosophy's - and history's - most influential thinkers.

5.0 out of 5 stars Republication, September 13, 2008

By 

Schmidhauser (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plato: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) (Paperback)

An excellent piece - and it was just republished this year in Williams's The Sense of the Past: Essays in the History of Philosophy.