Description
Book SynopsisIn Plato's Apology of Socrates we see a philosopher in collision with his societya society he nonetheless claims to have benefited through his philosophic activity. It has often been asked why democratic Athens condemned a philosopher of Socrates'' character to death. This anthology examines the contribution made by Plato's Apology of Socrates to our understanding of the character of Socrates as well as of the conception of philosophy Plato attributes to him. The 11 chapters offer complementary readings of the Apology, which through their different approaches demonstrate the richness of this
Platonic work as well as the various layers that can be discerned in its presentation of Socrates.
While the contributions display variety in both topics and angles, they also share common features: An awareness of the importance of the literary aspects of Plato's courtroom drama, as well as a readiness to take into consideration the historical context of the work. Thereby they prov
Trade ReviewUndergraduates frequently encounter Plato through the Apology. But how does one move from impressions of this exceptional dialogue to philosophical and historical scholarship? This fine anthology, from a 2015 conference in Bergen, Norway, supplies this pedagogical need. The 11 essays survey cruxes of the dialogue that Gro Rørstadbotten (in his essay "Socrates's Telling of the Truth") calls the "point zero," where Plato's Socrates meets his historical counterpart. Most essays problematize Socrates himself. Arlene Saxonhouse sees tensions between democracy and "shameless" speech (parrhesia). Other contributors link Socrates's rhetoric to history. Rørstadbotten reviews the amnesty law that prohibited litigious reference to the atrocities of the oligarchy. Hallvard Fossheim faults Socrates regarding Aristotle’s account of virtue—Socrates's cleverness, poverty, and lack of straightforward political engagement compromise practical wisdom. The eminent Paul Woodruff argues that Socrates's exhortation to Athens is strange unless understood as a call to jurors "to examine themselves and live in accordance with human limitations." Such insights supplement those in previous works on either the broader philosophy of Socrates (e.g., Thomas Brickhouse and Nicholas Smith's The Philosophy of Socrates, CH, Jul'00, 37-6200) or on his rhetoric (I. F. Stone's The Trial of Socrates, CH, Nov'88, 26-1493).
Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. * CHOICE *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1: A Shameless Socrates on Trial in Democratic Athens
Arlene Saxonhouse
Chapter 2: Philosophy, Democracy and Poverty: The Philosopher as Political Agent in Plato’ Apology
Oda Tvedt
Chapter 3: The Temporality of Philosophy in the Apology
Kristin Sampson
Chapter 4: Plato’s Socrates in the Apology: Speaking in Two Voices
Knut Ågotnes
Chapter 5: Socrates’ Daimonic Ethics: Myth and Heroism in Plato’s Apology
Jacob Howland
Chapter 6: Plato’s Apologies
Gro Rørstadbotten
Chapter 7: The Character of Socrates in Plato’s Apology: An Aristotelian Analysis
Hallvard Fossheim
Chapter 8: Socrates’ Failure: Language and Lies in Plato’s Apology
Olof Pettersson
Chapter 9: Self-Images of Socrates. Respect for Tradition and Critical Examination in Plato’s Apology
Elena Irrera
Chapter 10: Socrates’ Mission
Paul Woodruff
Chapter 11: The Philosophical Force of Negativity: Elenchos and Socratic Conversation in Plato’s Apology
Vivil Valvik Haraldsen
