Sophistry and Political Philosophy

Protagoras' Challenge to Socrates

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ancient, Political
Cover of the book Sophistry and Political Philosophy by Robert C. Bartlett, University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert C. Bartlett ISBN: 9780226394312
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: September 12, 2016
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author: Robert C. Bartlett
ISBN: 9780226394312
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: September 12, 2016
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

One of the central challenges to contemporary political philosophy is the apparent impossibility of arriving at any commonly agreed upon “truths.” As Nietzsche observed in his Will to Power, the currents of relativism that have come to characterize modern thought can be said to have been born with ancient sophistry. If we seek to understand the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary radical relativism, we must therefore look first to the sophists of antiquity—the most famous and challenging of whom is Protagoras.

With Sophistry and Political Philosophy, Robert C. Bartlett provides the first close reading of Plato’s two-part presentation of Protagoras. In the “Protagoras,” Plato sets out the sophist’s moral and political teachings, while the “Theaetetus,” offers a distillation of his theoretical and epistemological arguments. Taken together, the two dialogues demonstrate that Protagoras is attracted to one aspect of conventional morality—the nobility of courage, which in turn is connected to piety. This insight leads Bartlett to a consideration of the similarities and differences in the relationship of political philosophy and sophistry to pious faith. Bartlett’s superb exegesis offers a significant tool for understanding the history of philosophy, but, in tracing Socrates’s response to Protagoras’ teachings, Bartlett also builds toward a richer understanding of both ancient sophistry and what Socrates meant by “political philosophy.”
 

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

One of the central challenges to contemporary political philosophy is the apparent impossibility of arriving at any commonly agreed upon “truths.” As Nietzsche observed in his Will to Power, the currents of relativism that have come to characterize modern thought can be said to have been born with ancient sophistry. If we seek to understand the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary radical relativism, we must therefore look first to the sophists of antiquity—the most famous and challenging of whom is Protagoras.

With Sophistry and Political Philosophy, Robert C. Bartlett provides the first close reading of Plato’s two-part presentation of Protagoras. In the “Protagoras,” Plato sets out the sophist’s moral and political teachings, while the “Theaetetus,” offers a distillation of his theoretical and epistemological arguments. Taken together, the two dialogues demonstrate that Protagoras is attracted to one aspect of conventional morality—the nobility of courage, which in turn is connected to piety. This insight leads Bartlett to a consideration of the similarities and differences in the relationship of political philosophy and sophistry to pious faith. Bartlett’s superb exegesis offers a significant tool for understanding the history of philosophy, but, in tracing Socrates’s response to Protagoras’ teachings, Bartlett also builds toward a richer understanding of both ancient sophistry and what Socrates meant by “political philosophy.”
 

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book Kurt Schwitters by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Sojourners in a Strange Land by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Meaning in History by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Cigarettes, Inc. by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Improvising Improvisation by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Maps with the News by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Smut by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Education, Justice, and Democracy by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book The Old-Time Saloon by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Sovereign of the Market by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Large Carnivore Conservation by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book What Did the Romans Know? by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Florence in the Forgotten Centuries, 1527-1800 by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Resisting Abstraction by Robert C. Bartlett
Cover of the book Creatively Undecided by Robert C. Bartlett
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy