A Companion to Plato - (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy) by Hugh H Benson (Paperback)
About this item
Highlights
- This broad-ranging Companion comprises original contributions from leading Platonic scholars and reflects the different ways in which they are dealing with Plato's legacy.
- About the Author: Hugh H. Benson is Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Oklahoma.
- 496 Pages
- Philosophy, History & Surveys
- Series Name: Blackwell Companions to Philosophy
Description
About the Book
Originally published: Malden, Mass.; Oxford: Blackwell, 2006.Book Synopsis
This broad-ranging Companion comprises original contributions from leading Platonic scholars and reflects the different ways in which they are dealing with Plato's legacy.- Covers an exceptionally broad range of subjects from diverse perspectives
- Contributions are devoted to topics, ranging from perception and knowledge to politics and cosmology
- Allows readers to see how a position advocated in one of Plato's dialogues compares with positions advocated in others
- Permits readers to engage the debate concerning Plato's philosophical development on particular topics
- Also includes overviews of Plato's life, works and philosophical method
From the Back Cover
Plato and Platonism remain fundamental to the practice of philosophy. This broad-ranging Companion comprises original contributions from some of the best Platonic scholars in the world today and reflects the various ways in which they are dealing with Plato's legacy.The Companion is ordered on three principles. First, the contributions are devoted to topics in Platonic philosophy, ranging from perception and knowledge to politics and cosmology. This allows readers to see how a position advocated in one of Plato's dialogues compares with positions advocated in others. Second, reading Plato in this way raises issues concerning the chronological order of the composition of the dialogues and Plato's philosophical development; various sides of the debate on these subjects are argued. Finally, topics have been selected for their philosophical rather than their historical significance.
The volume will be welcomed for the wide range of topics and the multiplicity of perspectives it presents. As an aid to fuller understanding, it also includes overviews of Plato's life, works, and philosophical method.
Review Quotes
"This compendium of 29 essays by leading scholars, on every aspect of Plato from his biography and literary style to his metaphysics and politics to his reception by later philosophical and religious traditions, is a welcome addition to the resources available to students of Plato. A number of essays distill cutting-edge research developed in greater detail in the authors' monographs. The result is a book every student of Plato will want to consult."
Rachana Kamtekar, University of Arizona
"This is a valuable collection of essays from a distinguished cast of contributors. It should prove useful to a wide variety of readers."
Chris Bobonich, Stanford University
"This hefty volume differs from many anthologies on Plato in its comprehensiveness...The essays represent recent scholarship on Plato, with bibliographical references at the end of each essay to literature almost exclusively within the last 50 years...To a lover of Plato, another volume of essays on his thought is always welcome."
Choice
"A work avowedly for the philosopher and the student philosopher, but accessible too by other students, this will be a welcome addition in a wide range of libraries from undergraduate level upwards."
Reference Reviews
About the Author
Hugh H. Benson is Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Oklahoma. He is the editor of Essays on the Philosophy of Socrates (1992) and author of Socratic Wisdom (2000) as well as various articles on the philosophy of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.