New Perspectives on Platonic Dialectic

This volume offers fresh perspectives on Platonic dialectic and provides novel interpretations of core aspects of Plato's philosophy.Plato's account of dialectic is arguably the first systematic account of philosophical method in the Western philosophical tradition. The book's chapters share two basic assumptions: dialectic is pivotal to understanding Platonic philosophy-including his ethics, epistemology, and ontology-and the current developmental approach to Platonic dialectic dominating contemporary scholarship hinders our understanding of Plato. Section I features essays that take a fresh look at the methods of elenchus, hypothesis, and collection and division that have received the most scrutiny in the literature. In Section II, the contributors shed light on aspects of dialectic that have so far not received sufficient attention because they do not fit squarely into the traditional framework, such as the use of examples, myths, and genealogical inquiries. The chapters in the final section examine the ways that the theoretical discussions of dialectic fit with the actual practice of dialectic in the dialogues and its larger ramifications in ethical and political life.New Perspectives on Platonic Dialectic will appeal to scholars and advanced students interested in Plato, ancient philosophy, philosophical method, and the history of logic.