A Companion to Plato

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.

Notes on Contributors viii Preface xii Abbreviations xiv 1 The Life of Plato of Athens 1 DEBRA NAILS 2 Interpreting Plato 13 CHRISTOPHER ROWE 3 The Socratic Problem 25 WILLIAM J. PRIOR Part I PLATONIC METHOD AND THE DIALOGUE FORM 37 4 Form and the Platonic Dialogues 39 MARY MARGARET MCCABE 5 The Socratic Elenchus 55 CHARLES M. YOUNG 6 Platonic Definitions and Forms 70 R. M. DANCY 7 Plato’s Method of Dialectic 85 HUGH H. BENSON Part II PLATONIC EPISTEMOLOGY 101 8 Socratic Ignorance 103 GARETH B. MATTHEWS 9 Plato on Recollection 119 CHARLES KAHN 10 Plato: A Theory of Perception or a Nod to Sensation? 133 DEBORAH K. W. MODRAK 11 Knowledge and the Forms in Plato 146 MICHAEL FEREJOHN Part III PLATONIC METAPHYSICS 163 12 The Forms and the Sciences in Socrates and Plato 165 TERRY PENNER 13 Problems for Forms 184 MARY LOUISE GILL 14 The Role of Cosmology in Plato’s Philosophy 199 CYNTHIA FREELAND 15 Plato on Language 214 DAVID SEDLEY 16 Plato and Mathematics 228 MICHAEL J. WHITE 17 Platonic Religion 244 MARK L. MCPHERRAN Part IV PLATONIC PSYCHOLOGY 261 18 The Socratic Paradoxes 263 THOMAS C. BRICKHOUSE and NICHOLAS D. SMITH 19 The Platonic Soul 278 FRED D. MILLER, JR. 20 Plato on Eros and Friendship 294 C. D. C. REEVE 21 Plato on Pleasure as the Human Good 308 GERASIMOS SANTAS Part V PLATONIC ETHICS, POLITICS, AND AESTHETICS 323 22 The Unity of the Virtues 325 DANIEL DEVEREUX 23 Plato on Justice 341 DAVID KEYT 24 Plato’s Concept of Goodness 356 NICHOLAS WHITE 25 Plato on the Law 373 SUSAN SAUVÉ MEYER 26 Plato and the Arts 388 CHRISTOPHER JANAWAY Part VI PLATONIC LEGACY 401 27 Learning about Plato from Aristotle 403 CHRISTOPHER SHIELDS 28 Plato and Hellenistic Philosophy 418 A. A. LONG 29 Plato’s Influence on Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Philosophy 434 SARA AHBEL–RAPPE Index 452

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.

"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