The Guardians on Trial

The Reading Order of Plato's Dialogues from Euthyphro to Phaedo

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ancient
Cover of the book The Guardians on Trial by William H. F. Altman, Lexington Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William H. F. Altman ISBN: 9781498529525
Publisher: Lexington Books Publication: July 19, 2016
Imprint: Lexington Books Language: English
Author: William H. F. Altman
ISBN: 9781498529525
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication: July 19, 2016
Imprint: Lexington Books
Language: English

Based on a conception of Reading Order introduced and developed in his Plato the Teacher: The Crisis of the Republic (Lexington; 2012) and *The Guardians in Action: Plato the Teacher and the Post-*Republic Dialogues from Timaeus to Theaetetus (Lexington; 2016), William H. F. Altman now completes his study of Plato’s so-called “late dialogues” by showing that they include those that depict the trial and death of Socrates. According to Altman, it is not Order of Composition but Reading Order that makes Euthyphro, Apology of Socrates, Crito, and Phaedo “late dialogues,” and he shows why Plato’s decision to interpolate the notoriously “late” Sophist and Statesman between Euthyphro and Apology deserves more respect from interpreters. Altman explains this interpolation—and another, that places Laws between Crito and Phaedo—as part of an ongoing test Plato has created for his readers that puts “the Guardians on Trial.” If we don’t recognize that Socrates himself is the missing Philosopher that the Eleatic Stranger never actually describes—and also the antithesis of the Athenian Stranger, who leaves Athens in order to create laws for Crete—we pronounce ourselves too sophisticated to be Plato’s Guardians, and unworthy of the Socratic inheritance.

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

Based on a conception of Reading Order introduced and developed in his Plato the Teacher: The Crisis of the Republic (Lexington; 2012) and *The Guardians in Action: Plato the Teacher and the Post-*Republic Dialogues from Timaeus to Theaetetus (Lexington; 2016), William H. F. Altman now completes his study of Plato’s so-called “late dialogues” by showing that they include those that depict the trial and death of Socrates. According to Altman, it is not Order of Composition but Reading Order that makes Euthyphro, Apology of Socrates, Crito, and Phaedo “late dialogues,” and he shows why Plato’s decision to interpolate the notoriously “late” Sophist and Statesman between Euthyphro and Apology deserves more respect from interpreters. Altman explains this interpolation—and another, that places Laws between Crito and Phaedo—as part of an ongoing test Plato has created for his readers that puts “the Guardians on Trial.” If we don’t recognize that Socrates himself is the missing Philosopher that the Eleatic Stranger never actually describes—and also the antithesis of the Athenian Stranger, who leaves Athens in order to create laws for Crete—we pronounce ourselves too sophisticated to be Plato’s Guardians, and unworthy of the Socratic inheritance.

More books from Lexington Books

Cover of the book Reflections on Religion, the Divine, and the Constitution by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book Mission as Globalization by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book The Rhetorical Invention of Man by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book Repairing the Athlete's Image by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book The Ethics of Listening by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book Urban Growth in Ethiopia, 1887–1974 by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book History as Prelude by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book Comprehending Care by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book Subjectivity by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book Front Cover Iconography and Algerian Women’s Writing by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book The Korean Wave by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book Augustine and Psychology by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book China and the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book China in Search of a Harmonious Society by William H. F. Altman
Cover of the book The Islamic State by William H. F. Altman
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