Plato and his Predecessors
Plato and his Predecessors
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Plato and his Predecessors considers how Plato represents his philosophical predecessors in a late quartet of dialogues: the Theaetetus, the Sophist, the Politicus and the Philebus. These predecessors appear in imaginary conversations; and they are refuted when they fail to defend their philosophical positions in debate. Professor McCabe argues that Plato's reflections on these conversations allow him to develop a new account of the principles of reason, and forge a fresh view of the best life--the life of the philosopher.
- Examines how the philosophical and the literary are connected in Plato's late dialogues
- Sheds light on the philosophy of the late dialogues
- Looks at Plato's later conception of the life of the philosopher
Reviews & endorsements
"Plato and His Predecessor is a thoughtful book, provocative, interesting, and refreshing in its defense of the manner in which Plato pursues philosophy." Journal of the History of Philosophy Jan 2002
"In this amibitious and highly original study, McCabe presents an intricately structured argument designed to demonstrate Plato's concern with fundamental issues of rationality and personhood...McCabe has presented us with a tour de force of imaginative interpretation, in the very best sense, that is sure to provoke further discussion." The Philosophical Review
"...a rich and complex book...Scholars will find plenty to get their teeth into." Robin Waterfield, Ancient History Bulletin
Product details
March 2011Adobe eBook Reader
9780511825637
0 pages
0kg
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- Preface
- 1. Introduction
- Part I. The Opponents:
- 2. Measuring sincerity
- 3. Missing persons
- 4. Can the Heraclitean live his Heracliteanism?
- Part II. Teleology:
- 5. Myth and its end
- 6. Outwitting the cunning man
- Part III. Reason and the Philosopher:
- 7. Tracking down the philosopher
- 8. The sufficiency of reason
- 9. Meeting Socrates' challenge
- Bibliography
- General index
- Index locorum.
