Plato's Democratic Entanglements
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-04366-1 (ISBN)
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.
S. Sara Monoson is Associate Professor of Political Science and Classics at Northwestern University.
Acknowledgments ix INTRODUCTION Siting Plato 3 PART ONE: Aspects of the Athenian Civic Self-Image 19 CHAPTER ONE The Allure of Harmodius and Aristogeiton: Public/Private Relations in the Athenian Democratic Imaginary 21 Telling the Tale 22 Embracing the Simplified Tale 28 Thinking with the Tale 29 Thucydides' Critique 42 Aristotle's Critique 49 CHAPTER TWO Citizen as Parrhesiastes (Frank Speaker) 51 Truth-Telling and Risk-Taking 52 Frank Speaking and Freedom 54 Frank Speaking and the Integrity of Assembly Debate 56 CHAPTER THREE Citizen as Erastes (Lover): Erotic Imagery and the Idea of Reciprocity in the Periclean Funeral Oration 64 Citizen as Erastes 67 Citizenship as Reciprocity between Lover and Beloved 74 CHAPTER FOUR Citizen as Theates (Theater-Goer): Performing Unity, Reciprocity, and Strong-Mindedness in the City Dionysia 88 The Event 90 Representing the Unity of the Democratic Polis 92 Enacting Democratic Norms 98 PART TWO: Plato's Democratic Entanglements 111 CHAPTER FIVE Unsettling the Orthodoxy 113 Philosopber as Tyrant-Slayer 113 The Matter of Bias 115 Dismay over the Fate of Socrates 118 Disdain for the Common Man 122 The 'Doctrine" of the Republic 125 The Work of the Academy 137 Personal Involvement in Syracusan Politics 145 CHAPTER SIX Philosopher as Parrhesiastes (Frank Speaker) 154 The Laches: Recognizing Parrhesia 155 The Gorgias: Embracing Parrhesia. 161 The Republic: Practicing Parrhesia 165 The Laws: Practicing Parrhesia 179 CHAPTER SEVEN Remembering Pericles: The Political and Theoretical Import of Plato's Menexcnus 181 Plato's Opposition to the Veneration of Pericles 182 Plato's Rcjection of Pericles Model of Democratic Citizenship 189 Plato's Theoretical Interest in Funeral Oratory 202 CHAPTER EIGHT Theory and Theatricality 206 A Puzzle 206 Four Patterns 207 Preliminary Thoughts on Theory and Theater-going 208 Philosopber as Theates in the Republic 212 Theorist as Theoros in the Laws 226 Why Is Socrates Absent from the Laws? 232 Concluding Remarks 237 Citation Index 239 General Index 245
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 28.5.2000 |
|---|---|
| Verlagsort | New Jersey |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 152 x 235 mm |
| Gewicht | 510 g |
| Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Philosophie Altertum / Antike |
| Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Politische Systeme | |
| ISBN-10 | 0-691-04366-3 / 0691043663 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0-691-04366-1 / 9780691043661 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
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