Plato and the Mythic Tradition in Political Thought

Plato and the Mythic Tradition in Political Thought PDF Author: Tae-Yeoun Keum
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674984641
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
An ambitious reinterpretation and defense of Plato’s basic enterprise and influence, arguing that the power of his myths was central to the founding of philosophical rationalism. Plato’s use of myths—the Myth of Metals, the Myth of Er—sits uneasily with his canonical reputation as the inventor of rational philosophy. Since the Enlightenment, interpreters like Hegel have sought to resolve this tension by treating Plato’s myths as mere regrettable embellishments, irrelevant to his main enterprise. Others, such as Karl Popper, have railed against the deceptive power of myth, concluding that a tradition built on Platonic foundations can be neither rational nor desirable. Tae-Yeoun Keum challenges the premise underlying both of these positions. She argues that myth is neither irrelevant nor inimical to the ideal of rational progress. She tracks the influence of Plato’s dialogues through the early modern period and on to the twentieth century, showing how pivotal figures in the history of political thought—More, Bacon, Leibniz, the German Idealists, Cassirer, and others—have been inspired by Plato’s mythmaking. She finds that Plato’s followers perennially raised the possibility that there is a vital role for myth in rational political thinking.

Plato and the Mythic Tradition in Political Thought

Plato and the Mythic Tradition in Political Thought PDF Author: Tae-Yeoun Keum
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674984641
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Get Book

Book Description
An ambitious reinterpretation and defense of Plato’s basic enterprise and influence, arguing that the power of his myths was central to the founding of philosophical rationalism. Plato’s use of myths—the Myth of Metals, the Myth of Er—sits uneasily with his canonical reputation as the inventor of rational philosophy. Since the Enlightenment, interpreters like Hegel have sought to resolve this tension by treating Plato’s myths as mere regrettable embellishments, irrelevant to his main enterprise. Others, such as Karl Popper, have railed against the deceptive power of myth, concluding that a tradition built on Platonic foundations can be neither rational nor desirable. Tae-Yeoun Keum challenges the premise underlying both of these positions. She argues that myth is neither irrelevant nor inimical to the ideal of rational progress. She tracks the influence of Plato’s dialogues through the early modern period and on to the twentieth century, showing how pivotal figures in the history of political thought—More, Bacon, Leibniz, the German Idealists, Cassirer, and others—have been inspired by Plato’s mythmaking. She finds that Plato’s followers perennially raised the possibility that there is a vital role for myth in rational political thinking.

Plato and the Mythic Tradition in Political Thought

Plato and the Mythic Tradition in Political Thought PDF Author: Tae-Yeoun Keum
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674984641
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Get Book

Book Description
An ambitious reinterpretation and defense of Plato’s basic enterprise and influence, arguing that the power of his myths was central to the founding of philosophical rationalism. Plato’s use of myths—the Myth of Metals, the Myth of Er—sits uneasily with his canonical reputation as the inventor of rational philosophy. Since the Enlightenment, interpreters like Hegel have sought to resolve this tension by treating Plato’s myths as mere regrettable embellishments, irrelevant to his main enterprise. Others, such as Karl Popper, have railed against the deceptive power of myth, concluding that a tradition built on Platonic foundations can be neither rational nor desirable. Tae-Yeoun Keum challenges the premise underlying both of these positions. She argues that myth is neither irrelevant nor inimical to the ideal of rational progress. She tracks the influence of Plato’s dialogues through the early modern period and on to the twentieth century, showing how pivotal figures in the history of political thought—More, Bacon, Leibniz, the German Idealists, Cassirer, and others—have been inspired by Plato’s mythmaking. She finds that Plato’s followers perennially raised the possibility that there is a vital role for myth in rational political thinking.

Plato and the Mythic Tradition in Political Thought

Plato and the Mythic Tradition in Political Thought PDF Author: Tae-Yeoun Keum
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674250168
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Winner of the Gustave O. Arlt Award in the Humanities Winner of the Istvan Hont Book Prize An ambitious reinterpretation and defense of Plato’s basic enterprise and influence, arguing that the power of his myths was central to the founding of philosophical rationalism. Plato’s use of myths—the Myth of Metals, the Myth of Er—sits uneasily with his canonical reputation as the inventor of rational philosophy. Since the Enlightenment, interpreters like Hegel have sought to resolve this tension by treating Plato’s myths as mere regrettable embellishments, irrelevant to his main enterprise. Others, such as Karl Popper, have railed against the deceptive power of myth, concluding that a tradition built on Platonic foundations can be neither rational nor desirable. Tae-Yeoun Keum challenges the premise underlying both of these positions. She argues that myth is neither irrelevant nor inimical to the ideal of rational progress. She tracks the influence of Plato’s dialogues through the early modern period and on to the twentieth century, showing how pivotal figures in the history of political thought—More, Bacon, Leibniz, the German Idealists, Cassirer, and others—have been inspired by Plato’s mythmaking. She finds that Plato’s followers perennially raised the possibility that there is a vital role for myth in rational political thinking.

Philebus

Philebus PDF Author: Plato
Publisher: Phoemixx Classics Ebooks
ISBN: 3986472762
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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Book Description
Philebus Plato - The Philebus is an extraordinarily creative and profound examination of what makes for a good human life, containing some of Plato's most sophisticated discussions of moral psychology, knowledge, metaphysics, and philosophical methodology. The Philebushad a far greater influence on Aristotle's ethics than the frequently studied Republic - yet historians of philosophical ethics have relatively neglected it and existing commentaries tend toemphasize certain aspects at the expense of others. This edited volume, the first of its kind, brings together leading scholars of ancient philosophy to take a fresh and comprehensive look at this important work. Each essay focuses on a relatively brief section of the Philebus and discusses the passages methodically, coveringtopics such as pleasure, knowledge, philosophical method, and the human good in detail. The result is not and is not intended to be a commentary, nor does it aim to present a unified interpretation. It is instead a series of close, original philosophical examinations, often in conversation with each other, which together provide continuous coverage of the Philebus. This reference work, a useful resource for teaching and studying, is valuable reading for researchers, scholars, graduatestudents, and advanced undergraduates interested in Plato, ancient Greek ethics, and in the history of ethics.

Myth and Philosophy in Plato's Phaedrus

Myth and Philosophy in Plato's Phaedrus PDF Author: Daniel S. Werner
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107021286
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
Examines the role of myth in Plato's Phaedrus, arguing that it leads readers to participate in Plato's dialogues and to engage in self-examination.

The Theory and Practice of Life

The Theory and Practice of Life PDF Author: Tarik Wareh
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674067134
Category : Greece
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Wareh's study of the literary culture within which the works, schools, and careers of Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek intellectuals took shape focuses on the role played by their rival Isocrates and the rhetorical education offered in his school. The book sheds new light on the participation of "Isocrateans" in fourth-century intellectual life.

The Activity of Being

The Activity of Being PDF Author: Aryeh Kosman
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674075021
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Understanding “what something is” has long occupied philosophers, and no Western thinker has had more influence on the nature of being than Aristotle. Focusing on a reinterpretation of the concept of energeia as “activity,” Aryeh Kosman reexamines Aristotle’s ontology and some of our most basic assumptions about the great philosopher’s thought.

A Philosophy of Political Myth

A Philosophy of Political Myth PDF Author: Chiara Bottici
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139466798
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
In this book, originally published in 2007, Chiara Bottici argues for a philosophical understanding of political myth. Bottici demonstrates that myth is a process, one of continuous work on a basic narrative pattern that responds to a need for significance. Human beings need meaning in order to master the world they live in, but they also need significance in order to live in a world that is less indifferent to them. This is particularly true in the realm of politics. Political myths are narratives through which we orient ourselves, and act and feel about our political world. Bottici shows that in order to come to terms with contemporary phenomena, such as the clash between civilizations, we need a Copernican revolution in political philosophy. If we want to save reason, we need to look at it from the standpoint of myth.

Plato As Critical Theorist

Plato As Critical Theorist PDF Author: Jonny Thakkar
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780674919624
Category : POLITICAL SCIENCE
Languages : en
Pages : 389

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Book Description
Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Epigraph -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1. What Is Philosophy For? -- 2. Why Philosophers Should Rule -- 3. The Beautiful City -- 4. Plato and Athens -- 5. Historical Possibility -- 6. Philosopher-Citizens -- 7. Moneymaking and Malfunction -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index

Myth

Myth PDF Author: Robert Alan Segal
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0198724705
Category : Myth
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
Where do myths come from? What is their function and what do they mean? In this Very Short Introduction Robert Segal introduces the array of approaches used to understand the study of myth. These approaches hail from disciplines as varied as anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary criticism, philosophy, science, and religious studies. Including ideas from theorists as varied as Sigmund Freud, Claude Levi-Strauss, Albert Camus, and Roland Barthes, Segal uses the famous ancient myth of Adonis to analyse their individual approaches and theories. In this new edition, he not only considers the future study of myth, but also considers the interactions of myth theory with cognitive science, the implications of the myth of Gaia, and the differences between story-telling and myth. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.