Plato on Democracy

Is Plato one of the most authoritarian authors ever to have appeared on the face of the earth? This question has received almost every conceivable answer in the past, but inquiry into it has not been helped by easy generalizations and unwarranted anachronisms. Plato on Democracy addresses this question by charting both the development of Plato's political thought and the complex relationships between metaphysics, history, and politics in his work. Never losing sight of the social context in which Plato's thinking developed, Plato on Democracy is a thorough and comprehensive analysis of Plato's political philosophy.

Autorentext

Thanassis Samaras received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Warwick. He is presently teaching philosophy at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has written extensively in both Greek and anglophone journals on issues pertaining to political philosophy.

Inhalt

Acknowledgments - List of Abbreviations - Introduction - Socratic Ethics and Politics - Virtues of the Polis and Virtues of the Classes - The Sociological Basis of Plato's Rejection of Democracy - The Republic on Democracy - The Debate over Plato's Totalitarianiarism - The Metaphysical Justification of the Politics of the Republic - History in the Republic - The Ideal Statesman in a Non-Ideal Political Environment - The Myth of the Politicus - The Historical Perspective - The Timaeus and the Critias: the Disappearance of the Philosopher-Ruler - The Social Structure of Magnesia - The Distribution of Power - The Solonian Model - Forms in the Laws - The Nocturnal Council - Opinion, Persuasion and Freedom of Will in the Laws - The Ethical Theory of the Laws - Conclusion - Bibliography - Index Locorum - General Index.