Plato on the Value of Philosophy: The Art of Argument in the Gorgias and Phaedrus - Softcover

Irani, Tushar

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1316633063 ISBN 13: 9781316633069

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2019

Synopsis

Plato was the first philosopher in the western tradition to reflect systematically (and often critically) on rhetoric. In this book, Tushar Irani presents a comprehensive and innovative reading of the Gorgias and the Phaedrus, the only two Platonic dialogues to focus on what an 'art of argument' should look like, treating each of the texts individually, yet ultimately demonstrating how each can best be understood in light of the other. For Plato, the way in which we approach argument typically reveals something about our deeper desires and motivations, particularly with respect to other people, and so the key to understanding his views on the proper practice of argument lies in his understanding of human psychology. According to this reading, rhetoric done well is simply the practice of philosophy, the pursuit of which has far-reaching implications for how we should relate to others and how we ought to live.

About this title

About the Author

Tushar Irani is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and the College of Letters at Wesleyan University, Connecticut.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1316633063
• ISBN 13: 9781316633069
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 231