Plato and Myth: Studies on the Use and Status of Platonic Myths

Catherine Collobert, Pierre Destrée, Francisco J. Gonzalez

BRILL, Feb 17, 2012 - Philosophy - 476 pages

This volume seeks to show how the philosophy of Plato relates to the literary form of his discourse. Myth is one aspect of this relation whose importance for the study of Plato is only now beginning to be recognized. Reflection on this topic is essential not only for understanding Plato s conception of philosophy and its methods, but also for understanding more broadly the relation between philosophy and literature. The twenty chapters of this volume, contributed by scholars of diverse backgrounds and approaches, elucidate the various uses and statuses of Platonic myths in the first place by reflecting on myth per se and in the second place by focusing on a specific myth in the Platonic corpus.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Part I Reflections on the Nature of Platonic Myths: 11
• 1 Platos Exoteric Myths: 13
• 2 Myth and Interpretation: 25
• 3 Literal and Deeper Meanings in Platonic Myths: 47
• 4 The Freedom of Platonic Myth: 67
• Myth As Informative Phantasma: 87
• 6 Spectacles from Hades On Platos Myths and Allegories in the Republic: 109
• Part II Approaches to Platonic Myths: 125
• The Story of Prometheus in the Protagoras: 127
• 8 Religion and Morality Elements of Platos Anthropology in the Myth of Prometheus Protagoras 320d322d: 145
• Myth and Elenchos in Platos Gorgias: 165
• Taking Plato Seriously: 187
• Platos Geography of Dying and ComingbacktoLife: 199
• 12 Choice of Life and SelfTransformation in the Myth of Er: 235
• The Myth of Er as Both Philosophys Challenge and Inspiration: 259
• 14 The Myth of Theuth in the Phaedrus: 279
• 15 Myth and Truth in Platos Phaedrus: 305
• 16 Theriomorphism and the Composite Soul in Plato: 323
• 17 Myth Image and Likeness in Platos Timaeus: 343
• 18 Why Is the Timaeus Called an Eikos Muthos and an Eikos Logos?: 369
• 19 Why Two Epochs of Human History? On the Myth of the Statesman: 393
• a Myth?: 419
• References: 435
• Index locorum: 455

Bibliographic information

• Title: Plato and Myth: Studies on the Use and Status of Platonic Myths; Volume 337 of Mnemosyne, Supplements, ISSN 0169-8958; Volume 337 of Mnemosyne, bibliotheca classica Batava: Supplementum
• Editors: Catherine Collobert, Pierre Destrée, Francisco J. Gonzalez
• Contributors: Pierre Destrée, Francisco J. Gonzalez
• Publisher: BRILL, 2012
• ISBN: 9004218661, 9789004218666
• Length: 476 pages
• Subjects: Philosophy / History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical