Leo Strauss On Plato's Symposium (Paperback)

by Leo Strauss (Author), Seth Benardete (Editor) "This course will be on Plato's political philosophy and it will be conducted in the form of an explanation and an interpretation of the Symposium..." (more)
Key Phrases: sempiternal possession, base eros, noble eros, Thomas Aquinas, Apology of Socrates, Plato's Laws (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
In fall 1959, Strauss offered a course at the University of Chicago titled "Plato's Political Philosophy," during which he lectured on the Symposium. It was suggested shortly after that the lectures be reworked and published, and Strauss agreed. Benardete (classics, New York Univ.) worked on the manuscript, but Strauss was not satisfied with the results, and the project languished until 1999, when Benardete picked it up again and completed it. The resulting publication is not only an excellent analysis of, and introduction to, the Symposium but a text that mirrors the mind and skills of a renowned teacher. Strauss provides a detailed and careful reading of the dialog, together with a cogent analysis of its place in Plato's work, the nature of Eros, the tension between philosophy and poetry, and other related topics. This is a valuable addition to libraries that support programs in philosophy and/or political studies. Terry Skeats, Bishop's Univ. Lib., Lennoxville, Quebec
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

The first major piece of unpublished work by Leo Strauss to appear in more than thirty years, this volume offers the public the unprecedented experience of encountering this renowned scholar as his students did. Given as a course in autumn 1959 under the title "Plato's Political Philosophy," these provocative lectures—until now, never published, but instead passed down from one generation of students to the next—show Strauss at his subtle and insightful best.

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Product Details Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (May 1, 2003) Language: English ISBN-10: 0226776867 ISBN-13: 978-0226776866 Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #544,592 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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First Sentence:
This course will be on Plato's political philosophy and it will be conducted in the form of an explanation and an interpretation of the Symposium. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sempiternal possession, base eros, noble eros, noble cros, base cros, regarding pederasty, regarding eros, two erotes, eros rules, theoretical music, erotic things, cosmic gods, subject eros, erotic man, ugly exterior, poetic presentation, youngest god, decent character, erotic association, erect stature, base love, oldest god, prohibition against incest, ancient nature

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Thomas Aquinas, Apology of Socrates, Plato's Laws, Plato's Symposium, Xenophon's Memorabilia, Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Ethics, Aristotle's Politics

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 9 books:

• Apology of Socrates (Cambridge Elementary Classics: Greek) by Plato on page 6, and page 38
• Don Quixote (AKA Don Quixote de la Mancha) by Miguel de Cervantes on page 169
• Don Quixote (English Picture Readers) by Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra on page 169
• Don Quixote (Modern Library Classics) by Miguel de Cervantes on page 169
• Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes on page 169

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

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The Cambridge Companion to Plato by Richard Kraut

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews 20 of 22 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Take Professor Strauss's Class, August 27, 2001 By  Scott W. Johnson (St. Paul, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: Leo Strauss On Plato's Symposium (Hardcover) This is a remarkable book. It consists of transcriptions of the lectures given by Leo Strauss in his 1959 University of Chicago course on Plato's political philosophy. The course was devoted to the study of Plato's Symposium, but Strauss of course discusses several other dialogues that he suggests are related to the Symposium. The lectures read differently than the books and essays Professor Strauss prepared for publication. They are somewhat more open; they go somewhat more slowly through the material; they are perhaps somewhat less apparently ironic. But this only begins to hint at the special riches of the access this book affords to Professor Strauss's classroom. 17 of 19 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning clarity, September 13, 2001 By  J. C. Woods "silvannus" (Malden, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: Leo Strauss On Plato's Symposium (Hardcover) Symposium is my favorite dialogue and as such I've read a number of commentaries (Rosen, Allen and Dover). This one is very special. Strauss has a reach, a clarity and an elegance that is stunning. Let me give you an example. Strauss claims that Aristophanes' The Frogs was the model for the Symposium. Never thought of that before, but when you think about it, it's obvious. Yes, a very powerful idea. This level is sustained throughout the book. You may not agree with everything Strauss says, but even where you disagree you will find him profitable. 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Works like majic on the mind, May 8, 2003 By  Michael Russell (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews This is a different sort of Leo Strauss book. It's not a lecture given by him, and then edited for publication; rather, it is a transcription of a graduate class at U of Chicago in 1959. Yet despite this distance from Strauss' own hand- it reads as a rich and telling tale about philosophy and the possibilty of it. Strauss mentions early on that even the most average novelist, compared to the contemporary social scientist, produces a better insight to the human condition. Yet Strauss exceeds each craft in the course of this lecture. The amazing richness, touches of braod insight on a variety of topics, historical imagination and speculation, political comment and human awareness which leaks across the page are so satisfying and interesting, the book immediately stands out as significant, enjoyable, important, and worth re-reading as any classic piece of literature. Suspend all preconceptions and just float into this work; take it a page at a time- stop and wonder on the words- a careful reader will have to, for the surprising, unique, complex, complicated and shocking punctuate the work. An example is on page 94, when Strauss comments that Marx realized the bisexual nature of man had to be overcome if true communism would ever come to pass. Bisexual nature of man? What does this mean- how does it relate to Marx? The penetration and insight of Strauss on the material is so deft, it sparks insight to many other Platonic works, contemporary politics and the history of political philosophy. The uniqueness of Strauss' take on the Symposium is so daring, it will undoubtly lead one to reconsider their conception of Ancient Greek history, Platonic cosmology and the nature of mankind. Truly a priceless book.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Please Note... ...that this is a transcription of a series of class lectures. The introduction is not too helpful. Read more Published 3 months ago by mp 5.0 out of 5 stars The Founder of the Neo-Con movement... The sad thing is that today many people use the word "Neo-Con" as some sort of movement that involves George Bush. Read more Published 9 months ago by Alon A. Aloni Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226776867
• ISBN-13: 978-0226776866
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #544,592 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take Professor Strauss's Class, August 27, 2001

By	Scott W. Johnson (St. Paul, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Leo Strauss On Plato's Symposium (Hardcover)

This is a remarkable book. It consists of transcriptions of the lectures given by Leo Strauss in his 1959 University of Chicago course on Plato's political philosophy. The course was devoted to the study of Plato's Symposium, but Strauss of course discusses several other dialogues that he suggests are related to the Symposium. The lectures read differently than the books and essays Professor Strauss prepared for publication. They are somewhat more open; they go somewhat more slowly through the material; they are perhaps somewhat less apparently ironic. But this only begins to hint at the special riches of the access this book affords to Professor Strauss's classroom.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning clarity, September 13, 2001

By	J. C. Woods "silvannus" (Malden, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Leo Strauss On Plato's Symposium (Hardcover)

Symposium is my favorite dialogue and as such I've read a number of commentaries (Rosen, Allen and Dover). This one is very special. Strauss has a reach, a clarity and an elegance that is stunning. Let me give you an example. Strauss claims that Aristophanes' The Frogs was the model for the Symposium. Never thought of that before, but when you think about it, it's obvious. Yes, a very powerful idea. This level is sustained throughout the book. You may not agree with everything Strauss says, but even where you disagree you will find him profitable.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works like majic on the mind, May 8, 2003

By	Michael Russell (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This is a different sort of Leo Strauss book. It's not a lecture given by him, and then edited for publication; rather, it is a transcription of a graduate class at U of Chicago in 1959. Yet despite this distance from Strauss' own hand- it reads as a rich and telling tale about philosophy and the possibilty of it. Strauss mentions early on that even the most average novelist, compared to the contemporary social scientist, produces a better insight to the human condition. Yet Strauss exceeds each craft in the course of this lecture. The amazing richness, touches of braod insight on a variety of topics, historical imagination and speculation, political comment and human awareness which leaks across the page are so satisfying and interesting, the book immediately stands out as significant, enjoyable, important, and worth re-reading as any classic piece of literature. Suspend all preconceptions and just float into this work; take it a page at a time- stop and wonder on the words- a careful reader will have to, for the surprising, unique, complex, complicated and shocking punctuate the work. An example is on page 94, when Strauss comments that Marx realized the bisexual nature of man had to be overcome if true communism would ever come to pass. Bisexual nature of man? What does this mean- how does it relate to Marx? The penetration and insight of Strauss on the material is so deft, it sparks insight to many other Platonic works, contemporary politics and the history of political philosophy. The uniqueness of Strauss' take on the Symposium is so daring, it will undoubtly lead one to reconsider their conception of Ancient Greek history, Platonic cosmology and the nature of mankind. Truly a priceless book.