On Rhetoric and Language

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Plato on Rhetoric and Language presents, for the first time in one volume, four key Platonic dialogues on rhetoric and language in complete, contemporary translations: the Ion, the Protagoras, the Gorgias, and the Phaedrus. Previously, those interested in reading or teaching these dialogues had to acquire several books, typically having introductions that portrayed Plato's philosophy as strictly anti-rhetorical. The introduction to this volume treats Plato's discussions of the language arts as central to his philosophical practice. Reflecting current critical discussions about the significance of ambiguities and inconsistencies in the dialogues, the introduction approaches them as enacting the dialogical and rhetorical practice of philosophy rather than as expositions of doctrine. Readers are thus invited to participate in the dialogues as vital philosophical conversations about issues that animate contemporary rhetorical and literary thought today.

Specific features of this text include:

• four key dialogues on rhetoric and language presented in one volume in complete, contemporary translations;

• an introduction that discusses the complexities of Plato's dialogues and views on language, writing, dialogue, rhetoric, and poetics in a readable style;

• brief introductions to each dialogue that point out the major features of the dialogue as well as raise questions to stimulate thoughtful reading;

• an expanded bibliography for those interested in pursuing further critical discussion of the texts; and

• an index to key terms and concepts covered in the introduction and dialogues.

    Genres

232 pages, Paperback

First published July 1,1999

About the author

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Plato (Greek: Πλάτων), born Aristocles (c. 427 – 348 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms. He raised problems for what became all the major areas of both theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.
Plato's most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which has been interpreted as advancing a solution to what is now known as the problem of universals. He was decisively influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself.
Along with his teacher Socrates, and Aristotle, his student, Plato is a central figure in the history of philosophy. Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years—unlike that of nearly all of his contemporaries. Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages. Through Neoplatonism, he also greatly influenced both Christian and Islamic philosophy. In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead famously said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."


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