Plato's 'Republic': A Critical Guide

by Mark L. McPherran

Overview

Plato's Republic has proven to be of astounding influence and importance. Justly celebrated as Plato's central text, it brings together all of his prior works, unifying them into a comprehensive vision that is at once theological, philosophical, political, and moral. These essays provide a state-of-the-art research picture of the most interesting aspects of the Republic, and address questions that continue to puzzle and provoke, such as: Does Plato succeed in his argument that the life of justice is the most attractive one? Is his tripartite analysis of the soul coherent and plausible? Why does Plato seem to have to force his philosopher-guardians to rule when they know this is something that they ought to do? What is the point of the strange and complicated closing Myth of Er? This volume will be essential to those looking for thoughtful and detailed excursions into the problems posed by Plato's text and ideas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521491907
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/25/2010
Series:	Cambridge Critical Guides
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Mark L. McPherran is Professor of Philosophy at Simon Fraser University. He is the author of The Religion of Socrates (1996) and of numerous articles on ancient philosophy.

Table of Contents

Introduction Mark L. McPherran; 1. Socrates in the Republic G. R. F. Ferrari; 2. Platonic ring-composition and Republic X Rachel Barney; 3. The Atlantis story: the Republic and the Timaeus Julia Annas; 4. Ethics and politics in Socrates' defense of justice Rachana Kamtekar; 5. Plato's divided soul Christopher Shields; 6. The meaning of 'saphêneia' in Plato's divided line J. H. Lesher; 7. Plato's philosophical method in the Republic: the divided line (510b–511d) Hugh H. Benson; 8. Blindness and reorientation: education and the acquisition of knowledge in the Republic C. D. C. Reeve; 9. Music all pow'rful Malcolm Schofield; 10. Return to the cave Nicholas D. Smith; 11. Degenerate regimes in Plato's Republic Zena Hitz; 12. Virtue, luck, and choice at the end of the Republic Mark L. McPherran; Bibliography; Index of passages; Index of names and subjects.

Editorial Reviews

"In the past few years, the Republic 's readers have already been lucky enough to see two other fine anthologies dedicated to that dialogue.... This new Critical Guide is much shorter than those, but it stands well in their company and shares some contributors with them (including McPherran himself). This volume, a collection of papers that were mostly presented at a 2008 conference, is pitched to specialists slightly more than the other anthologies are.... its selections are shorter, so even the difficult chapters feel more inviting than longer versions of them would have been. Freshness is at a premium.... rich assortment.... a wide spectrum of issues has been updated in this excellent book. Every philosopher who has thought about the Republic will find something here that illuminates an aspect of the dialogue; specialists will want to spend time with many of the twelve selections."
—Nickolas Pappas, City University of New York, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews


"Plato lovers will rejoice at this new Cambridge collection of critical essays on Plato’s Republic.... This volume, part of the Cambridge Critical Guide Series, is not intended for the novice reader but for veteran Plato scholars who crave a more detailed critical journey into the classical text. It is an outstanding work, with essay after essay offering new food for Platonic thought. It is suitable for graduate students of ancient philosophy, psychology or political theory and will be a thorough delight for the seasoned scholar. Bravo, Cambridge and editor McPherran! Kudos as well to contributors Rachel Barney, Rachana Kamtekar, Nicholas Smith, Zena Hitz, and J. H. Lesher."
—Wendy Hamblet, Adelphi University, Philosophy in Review

From the Publisher