Socratic Rationalism and Political Philosophy: An Interpretation of Plato's Phaedo

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SUNY Press, Jan 1, 1993 - Philosophy - 240 pages
In this new interpretation of Plato's Phaedo, Paul Stern considers the dialogue as an invaluable source for understanding the distinctive character of Socratic rationalism. First, he demonstrates, contrary to the charge of such thinkers as Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Rorty, that Socrates' rationalism does not rest on the dogmatic presumption of the rationality of nature. Second, he shows that the distinctively Socratic mode of philosophizing is formulated precisely with a view to vindicating the philosophic life in the face of these uncertainties. And finally, he argues that this vindication results in a mode of inquiry that finds its ground in a clear understanding of the problematical but enduring human situation. Stern concludes that Socratic rationalism, aware as it is of the limits of reason, still provides a nondogmatic and nonarbitrary basis for human understanding.
 

Contents

The Defense of Socrates
9
The Proofs of Immortality
49
15
55
17
63
49
69
Socrates Final Teaching
147
Conclusion
179
Bibliography
227
Index
235
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About the author (1993)

Paul Stern is Assistant Professor of Politics at Ursinus College.

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