Sophistry and Political Philosophy: Protagoras' Challenge to Socrates - Hardcover

Bartlett, Robert C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 022639428X ISBN 13: 9780226394282

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2016

Synopsis

One of the central challenges to contemporary political philosophy is the apparent impossibility of arriving at any commonly agreed upon “truths.” As Nietzsche observed in his Will to Power, the currents of relativism that have come to characterize modern thought can be said to have been born with ancient sophistry. If we seek to understand the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary radical relativism, we must therefore look first to the sophists of antiquity—the most famous and challenging of whom is Protagoras.

With Sophistry and Political Philosophy, Robert C. Bartlett provides the first close reading of Plato’s two-part presentation of Protagoras. In the “Protagoras,” Plato sets out the sophist’s moral and political teachings, while the “Theaetetus,” offers a distillation of his theoretical and epistemological arguments. Taken together, the two dialogues demonstrate that Protagoras is attracted to one aspect of conventional morality—the nobility of courage, which in turn is connected to piety. This insight leads Bartlett to a consideration of the similarities and differences in the relationship of political philosophy and sophistry to pious faith. Bartlett’s superb exegesis offers a significant tool for understanding the history of philosophy, but, in tracing Socrates’s response to Protagoras’ teachings, Bartlett also builds toward a richer understanding of both ancient sophistry and what Socrates meant by “political philosophy.”
 

About this title

About the Author:

Robert C. Bartlett is the Behrakis Professor of Hellenic Political Studies at Boston College. He is the author or editor of seven books, including The Idea of Enlightenment, Plato's "Protagoras" and "Meno," and Xenophon's The Shorter Socratic Writings.

Review:

"A singular achievement. It combines meticulous textual analysis, deep scholarship, and unflagging attention to the most serious questions with writing that is both lively and lucid. Bartlett expertly guides the reader through the twists and turns of Plato's Protagoras and Theaetetus in order to clarify the debate between sophistry and Socratic political philosophy."--Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy.

"Near the beginning of Sophistry and Political Philosophy, the author cites Friedrich Nietzsche's observation that our 'contemporary way of thinking' is 'Protagorean.' If so, then understanding sophistry in general and its inventor, Protagoras in particular is a key to understanding ourselves. Robert Bartlett is an ideal guide for such an exploration....As befits a careful translator and thinker, his account of Plato's account combines exactitude and lucidity." Claremont Review of Books

"The most striking feature...is Bartlett's ability to bring forth the connection between Protagoras' epistemological commitments and their political repercussions. As this also bears on Plato's political agenda...Bartlett offers an important discussion of the inseparability of theory and practice, as well as of form and content....As Bartlett elegantly shows, Protagoras' great speech does work as a cloaking device. It is designed to help Protagoras...operate inside a political community constituted by principles that he does not respect. To lay this bare, Bartlett's nose for details plays a central role. The book also contains many generous summaries that make it easy to follow Bartlett's fluent and lucidly styled argument." -- Contemporary Political Theory

"A weighty and serious treatment, engaged deeply with how the Platonic dialogues grapple with issues that will surely continue to vex us over the centuries. This in-depth analysis of Plato's texts, arguments, and themes is an invaluable addition to the literature on ancient philosophy. Essential."--Choice

"An indispensable book for students and scholars alike. Not only is it an excellent guide to the Protagoras and the Theaetetus, but it also gives the reader a substantial foothold in Socratic political philosophy and demonstrates why Socratic philosophy might be superior to all challenges." --Perspectives on Politics

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 022639428X
• ISBN 13: 9780226394282
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256