Poetic Justice: Rereading Plato's "Republic"When Plato set his dialogs, written texts were disseminated primarily by performance and recitation. He wrote them, however, when literacy was expanding. Jill Frank argues that there are unique insights to be gained from appreciating Plato’s dialogs as written texts to be read and reread. At the center of these insights are two distinct ways of learning to read in the dialogs. One approach that appears in the Statesman, Sophist, and Protagoras, treats learning to read as a top-down affair, in which authoritative teachers lead students to true beliefs. Another, recommended by Socrates, encourages trial and error and the formation of beliefs based on students’ own fallible experiences. In all of these dialogs, learning to read is likened to coming to know or understand something. Given Plato’s repeated presentation of the analogy between reading and coming to know, what can these two approaches tell us about his dialogs’ representations of philosophy and politics? With Poetic Justice, Jill Frank overturns the conventional view that the Republic endorses a hierarchical ascent to knowledge and the authoritarian politics associated with that philosophy. When learning to read is understood as the passive absorption of a teacher’s beliefs, this reflects the account of Platonic philosophy as authoritative knowledge wielded by philosopher kings who ruled the ideal city. When we learn to read by way of the method Socrates introduces in the Republic, Frank argues, we are offered an education in ethical and political self-governance, one that prompts citizens to challenge all claims to authority, including those of philosophy. |
What people are saying - Write a review
Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified
User Review - Flag as inappropriate
Plato was really a Great Philosopher and jill frank did an anonymous work by writing this book.
Contents
Learning to Read | 1 |
1 Reading Plato | 19 |
The Measure of Truth | 50 |
3 A Life without Poetry | 81 |
4 The Power of Persuasion | 111 |
The Work of Desire | 141 |
Making Sense of Logos | 172 |
Poetic Justice | 210 |
| 227 | |
| 243 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
active actual Adeimantus aisthēsis analogy and/or appears argues argument asks associated Athens authority beautiful become better bring brothers calls chapter characters claims comes complex constitution critical deception democratic depends depicted describes desire dialogue Diotima discussion earlier early erōs ethical example experience father Ferrari force give Glaucon guardians human ideas images imitation injustice invites judge justice kind kings knowledge laws learning listen logos look matter means mimēsis mimetic mimetic poetry mode namely nature noted offers opinion oriented perception Perhaps persuasion Phaedrus philosopher Plato poetry poets Polemarchus political position possession possibility practice presents produce prompt Protagoras puts question readers reason reference relation representations Republic Republic’s Rhetoric rule rulers scholars seek seems seen sense Socrates says soul speak speech suggests Symposium Theaetetus things Thrasymachus tion treat true truth turn tyrant unlike wonder writing
Bibliographic information
| Title | Poetic Justice: Rereading Plato's "Republic" |
| Author | Jill Frank |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press, 2018 |
| ISBN | 022651577X, 9780226515779 |
| Length | 251 pages |
| Subjects | › › Philosophy / History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical Philosophy / Political Political Science / General Political Science / History & Theory |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |