Plato's Reception of Parmenides

by John A. Palmer

Overview

John Palmer presents a new and original account of Plato's uses and understanding of his most important Presocratic predecessor, Parmenides. Adopting an innovative approach to the appraisal of intellectual influence, Palmer first explores the Eleatic underpinnings of central elements in Plato's middle-period epistemology and metaphysics and then shows how in the later dialogues Plato confronts various sophistic appropriations of Parmenides.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199251599
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/25/2002
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	308
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	1520L (what's this?)

About the Author

John A. Palmer is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Florida, Gainesville. He was previously Research fellow at Clare Hall, Cambridge.

Table of Contents

PART I: PLATO'S MIDDLE-PERIOD RECEPTION OF PARMENIDES1. Introduction2. Eschatology and epistemology3. The argument from the possibility of knowledge4. Sight-lovers, mortals, and doxaPART II: PLATO AND THE SOPHISTIC APPROPRIATIONS OF PARMENIDES5. Parmenides' thesis at issue6. Sophistic Parmenideanism in the Sophist7. Sophistic Parmenideanism in the Sophist and in the Parmenides' dialectical exercisePART III: PLATO'S PARMENIDES IN THE LATER DIALOGUES8. Parmenides and Xenophanes in the Sophist and Timaeus9. Plato's Parmenides10. Plato's Parmenides and the Parmenides' Second DeductionAppendicesBibliographyIndex locorumGeneral index

Editorial Reviews

"This excellent and extensive survey is valuable reading for scholars and graduate students interested in Plato's metaphysics and epistemology."—Choice

From the Publisher