Plato's Democratic Entanglements [Hardcover]

S. Sara Monoson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 2000

In this book, Sara Monoson challenges the longstanding and widely held view that Plato is a virulent opponent of all things democratic. She does not, however, offer in its place the equally mistaken idea that he is somehow a partisan of democracy. Instead, she argues that we should attend more closely to Plato's suggestion that democracy is horrifying and exciting, and she seeks to explain why he found it morally and politically intriguing.

Monoson focuses on Plato's engagement with democracy as he knew it: a cluster of cultural practices that reach into private and public life, as well as a set of governing institutions. She proposes that while Plato charts tensions between the claims of democratic legitimacy and philosophical truth, he also exhibits a striking attraction to four practices central to Athenian democratic politics: intense antityrantism, frank speaking, public funeral oratory, and theater-going. By juxtaposing detailed examination of these aspects of Athenian democracy with analysis of the figurative language, dramatic structure, and arguments of the dialogues, she shows that Plato systematically links democratic ideals and activities to philosophic labor. Monoson finds that Plato's political thought exposes intimate connections between Athenian democratic politics and the practice of philosophy.

Situating Plato's political thought in the context of the Athenian democratic imaginary, Monoson develops a new, textured way of thinking of the relationship between Plato's thought and the politics of his city.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sara Monoson is that rare exception to the rule that political theorists cannot sustain the interest of political philosophers: her training in ancient history and classical Greek give her treatment of Plato's complicated relationship to democracy a depth and richness that will repay the efforts of the most exacting of critics. -- Debra Nails, Journal of the History of Philosophy

No one interested in Plato and Athenian democracy or in Plato generally can afford to miss this serious study of Plato's political philosophy in relation to Athenian democracy. -- F. Rosen, Political Studies

Clearly written, wide-ranging, but tightly organized. [Monoson] wears her erudition lightly, commanding a clear and cogent prose that is a pleasure to read. . . . Her richly textured portrait of Athenian political culture requires that we reexamine the contrasts conventionally associated with 'ancient' versus 'modern democracy.' Her work also invites us to think harder about the practices through which ideals of freedom and equality may be realized. -- Morris B. Kaplan, Political Theory

One of the many strengths of S. Sara Monoson's book about Plato's views on democracy . . . is the frank recognition of the open-endedness of Platonic interpretation. Her aim is not to argue for a particular cut-and-dried version of Plato's thoughts about democracy but rather to add new dimensions to what is conceded to be a rich cluster of subtle and ambivalent attitudes . . . All those working on either Plato or Athenian democracy will find much of interest. -- Richard Mulgan, Ethics

From the Inside Flap

"Sara Monoson has written a wonderfully readable original book on themes and texts that feel thoroughly familiar until she engages them. With her help, some of the most analyzed passages in all of Greek literature become interesting again. Though the book is lucidly written, it has a complex structure which it employs to make its equally complex argument about the relationship between the Athenian self-understanding of their democracy and Plato's political philosophizing. After an 'Introduction,' Part I considers four substantive issues: power, eros, frank speech, and theatricality as political practices which help constitute an Athenian democratic imaginary. Each chapter is valuable in itself, both in the particular argument it makes and the provocative textual interpretations present at every turn. But it is their cumulative effect as a cultural context for Plato's project that concerns Monoson most of all. Part II reprises each theme but now in terms of the 'imaginary' of Platonic political philosophy. While acknowledging those places where Plato not only departed from Athenian democratic practices but etched an indelible critique of them, she shows how often Plato remained engaged by and even sympathetic to Athenian civic ideals, and how frequently his critique was based on the failure of the Athenians to live up to them. Her aim is to dislodge the orthodox view of Plato as anti-democratic, which all too often closes down the generative possibilities for introducing Plato as an interlocutor in contemporary political debates. And she accomplishes all this with deftness, insight, and an admirable command of the primary texts and the scholarly literature on them."--J. Peter Euben, University of California, Santa Cruz

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (May 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691043663
• ISBN-13: 978-0691043661
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,537,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Foundations of Political Theory Best First Book Prize winner, May 29, 2001

By 

Jacob T. Levy (Montreal, QC, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plato's Democratic Entanglements (Hardcover)

This book has won the 2001 Best First Book Prize from the Foundations of Political Theory division of the American Political Science Association. The citation reads as follows:

In Plato's Democratic Entanglements, Sara Monoson uncovers and explores the connection between "two things usually viewed as thoroughly opposed - Plato's thought and Athenian democratic ideals and practices." To inform her inquiry, she draws upon her extensive knowledge of two bodies of recent scholarship: the literature in classics and political theory that reaches beyond the level of specifically governmental institutions to examine the civic practices and norms of Athenian democracy: and the literature on Plato that examines his philosophic practices and his involvement with the political life of his city.

Although fully cognizant of the antidemocratic features of Plato's thought, Monoson provides us with a more complex and nuanced account of the interaction between Plato's ideals of philosophic practice and the civic practices and ideals of democratic Athens. In particular, she shows the parallels between Plato's conception of the philosopher and the Athenian conception of the good democratic citizen - as lovers of the polis, as frank speakers, and as adherents of norms of deliberativeness and reciprocity.

Monoson's erudite analysis adds significant new dimensions and insights to a venerable scholarly debate and problematicizes overly simple understandings of Plato's political ideals, of Athenian practices, and of the standards for democratic citizenship. This book, in the words of Arlene Saxonhouse, "fully succeeds in bringing Plato into our conversations about democracy." It will reward the attention of all those classicists, philosophers, and political theorists interested in the issues she addresses.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-read for Plato fans, February 9, 2008

By 

Anthony B. Hernandez (Chicago / midwest) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Plato's Democratic Entanglements (Hardcover)

As a former student at Northwestern, I was fortunate to take a couple of courses with Professor Monoson. This book was just like being in her class: lively discussion, clear and and direct presentation of material, and a way of making you reflect on a subject in a completely new way. If you've read the Republic and think you understand the relationship between democracy and Plato's ideal state, think again. Sara will have you reading between the lines and bringing the full weight of Athenian culture to bear on Platonic philosophy.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys Plato's dialogues.

5.0 out of 5 stars First Hand Experience, September 18, 2011

By 

M. Knapke - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Plato's Democratic Entanglements (Hardcover)

I can offer a unique perspective on Ms. Monoson's work because I had the rare pleasure of studying under her while pursuing my master's at Northwestern University. It was one of the most rewarding class experiences I've ever had, especially for someone who is an avid reader of Plato's works. Do yourself a favor and buy this book!