Description
Book SynopsisThrough a study of Plato's Gorgias, this title shows that contemporary conceptions of shame are far too narrow. It develops an account of a different kind of shame, which the author calls 'respectful shame' and argues that this type of shame is just as important to contemporary democracy as it was to its ancient form.
Trade Review"Every once in a long while a book comes along that the reader finds so worthwhile, down to the smallest detail, that she painstakingly devours every line and every section, even those with which she finds herself in disagreement, and ultimately closes the book with a sigh of disappointment when the journey is done and the book ends. Such a book is ... Prudes, Perverts, and Tyrants... This book will be an excellent addition to any philosopher's library, worthy as a graduate level text on ancient philosophy, and valuable for those readers interested in nuanced studies of the effects of the emotions in human societies and in politics. Regardless of whether the reader agrees with the twists and turns of Tarnopolsky's arguments, the journey will be well worth taking."--Wendy C. Hamblet, Philosophy in Review "Tarnopolsky presents many thought-provoking and helpful interpretations of Plato's Gorgias."--James H. Nichols, Jr., Polis
Table of ContentsList of Tables ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 Contemporary Attitudes toward Shame 1 The Theoretical Debates Surrounding Shame 2 Plato's Relevance to the Contemporary Politics of Shame 6 Plato's Gorgias and the Politics of Shame 16 Prudes, Perverts, and Tyrants 21 PART ONE: Plato's Gorgias and the Athenian Politics of Shame 27 CHAPTER ONE: Shame and Rhetoric in Plato's Gorgias 29 Situating Plato's Gorgias within the Platonic Corpus 35 The Dual Character of the Socratic Elenchus 38 From Gorgianic Rhetoric to Platonic Rhetoric 41 CHAPTER TWO: Shaming Gorgias, Polus, and Callicles 56 The Refutation of Gorgias 61 The Refutation of Polus 65 The Refutation of Callicles 79 The Mechanisms of Shame 84 CHAPTER THREE: Plato on Shame in Democratic Athens 89 The Canonical View of Plato's Criticisms of Athens 90 Disrupting the Canon 91 Parrhe-sia as an Athenian Democratic Ideal 96 Parrhe-sia and Shame 98 The Structure of Shame 100 Flattering vs. Respectful Shame 104 Plato contra Tyrannical Democrats 110 CHAPTER FOUR: Socratic vs. Platonic Shame 114 Shame and Deception in Plato's Gorgias 114 The Myth as an Illustration of the Socratic Elenchus 120 Platonic Myth vs. Socratic Elenchus 126 Gregory Vlastos on Socratic and Platonic Irony 131 Alexander Nehamas on Socratic and Platonic Irony 133 Socratic vs. Platonic Irony in Plato's Gorgias 136 PART TWO: Plato's Gorgias and the Contemporary Politics of Shame 141 CHAPTER FIVE: Prudes, Perverts, and Tyrants: Plato and the Contemporary Politics of Shame and Civility 143 The Contemporary Politics of Shame and Civility 143 Michael Warner and the Politics of Shame 145 Jean Bethke Elshtain and the Politics of Civility 147 Elshtain and Warner: Finding a Common Ground 150 The Conceptual Confusions Surrounding Shame 151 Solving the Conceptual Confusions 153 Socratic Respectful vs. Flattering Shame 160 Platonic Respectful Shame and the Search for Consensus 167 CHAPTER SIX: What's So Negative about the "Negative" Emotions? 172 Defining the "Negative" Emotions 172 Rationality and the Emotions 178 Primitive vs. Advanced Emotions 183 The Positivity of Negativity 193 Bibliography 197 Index 211
