Plato the Teacher: The Crisis of the RepublicIn this unique and important book, William Altman shines a light on the pedagogical technique of the playful Plato, especially his ability to create living discourses that directly address the student. Reviving an ancient concern with reconstructing the order in which Plato intended his dialogues to be taught as opposed to determining the order in which he wrote them, Altman breaks with traditional methods by reading Plato’s dialogues as a multiplex but coherent curriculum in which the Allegory of the Cave occupies the central place. His reading of Plato's Republic challenges the true philosopher to choose the life of justice exemplified by Socrates and Cicero by going back down into the Cave of political life for the sake of the greater Good. |
What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
Contents
1 | |
37 | |
2 Challenges | 77 |
3 The Shorter Way | 111 |
4 The Longer Way | 171 |
5 The Firesticks | 245 |
6 Democracy and Education | 291 |
7 Choices | 359 |
Bibliography
| 401 |
425 | |
471 | |
475 | |
About the Author | 489 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Achilles Adeimantus Alcibiades Ancient argument Aristotle Aristotle's Athenian Athens basanistic basis beautiful become beginning Book VII called Cambridge University Press Cave Cephalus Cicero City claim Classical Cleitophon compelled con consider context crucial Democracy dia dialectical discussion Divided Line doctrine Education emphasized Ethics existence fact fictional Firesticks Forms Glaucon go back Gorgias Greek Guardians Harmonious Homer Hypothesis important indivisible lines intelligible Kraut Leo Strauss mathematical means Metaphysics method nature objects Odysseus ontology Order of Plato's Oxford University Press Parmenides passage Phaedo phi Philebus philosopher philosopher's Phronesis Pla Plato the Teacher Plato's Dialogues Plato's Republic Platonic pedagogy Platonist plurality Polemarchus political pre principle proleptic Protagoras question reader reading order Republic of Plato sense Seventh Letter Shorey Shorter Socrates soul Straussian student Studies teaching Theages Theory things Thrasymachus Thucydides Timaeus tion translation true truth visible Vlastos words