Plato on the Limits of Human Life (Studies in Continental Thought) - Softcover

Brill, Sara

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0253008875 ISBN 13: 9780253008879

Publisher: Indiana University Press, 2013

Synopsis

By focusing on the immortal character of the soul in key Platonic dialogues, Sara Brill shows how Plato thought of the soul as remarkably flexible, complex, and indicative of the inner workings of political life and institutions. As she explores the psychic character of the soul, Brill reveals the corrective function that law and myth serve. If the soul is limitless, she claims, then the city must serve a regulatory or prosthetic function and prop up good political institutions against the threat of the soul's excess. Brill's sensitivity to dramatic elements and discursive strategies in Plato's dialogues illuminates the intimate connection between city and soul.

About this title

Review:

Sara Brill takes on at least two significant issues in Platonic scholarship: the nature of the soul, and especially the language of immortality in its description, and the relationship between politics and psychology. She treats each one of these topics in a fresh and nuanced way. Her writing is beautiful and fluid. Author: Marina McCoy Source: Boston College

From the Author:

Sara Brill is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Fairfield University.

About this edition

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0253008875
• ISBN 13: 9780253008879
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272