City and Soul in Plato's Republic
In addition to acknowledging familiar themes in the interpretation of the Republic—the sincerity of its utopianism, the justice of the philosopher's return to the Cave—Ferrari provocatively engages secondary literature by Leo Strauss, Bernard Williams, and Jonathan Lear. With admirable clarity and insight, Ferrari conveys the relation between the city and the soul and the choice between tyranny and philosophy. City and Soul in Plato's Republic will be of value to students of classics, philosophy, and political theory alike.
“In this fascinating study of Plato’s Republic, G. R. F. Ferrari provides a powerful alternative to regarding its city-soul analogy either as fraught with unresolved and unresolvable difficulties or as a Platonic ploy devised to further a hidden agenda. City and Soul in Plato’s Republic is, like the Republic itself, at once subtle and suggestive. It faithfully follows the contours of the text as it tracks Plato’s answer to the all-important question of which life is of greatest worth to those human beings distinguished in both character and intellect.”—Roslyn Weiss, Lehigh University
“G. R. F. Ferrari’s book reopens, from a fresh and original point of view, the long-lasting discussion on the relation between soul and city in the eighth book of Plato’s Republic. Pointing out its metaphorical rather than interactive character, the book thus confronts the crucial problem of the link between ethics and politics in Plato (which is not denied but rather loosened by Ferrari). It represents, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant and thought-provoking (although debatable) contributions to the renewal of our understanding of Plato’s ‘masterpiece’ and of the overall meaning of his philosophy about man and the city.”—Mario Vegetti, University of Pavia
“The city-soul analogy is the oldest and most intractable problem in Plato’s Republic. G. R. F. Ferrari shows just how much more we still have learn from Plato's greatest work. This short gem of a book repays reading and rereading. It is the best book on the Republic I have read in twenty five years.”—Steven B. Smith, Yale University
“G. R. F. Ferrari’s original, penetrating, and mercifully concise interpretation merits the serious attention of every serious student of the Republic.”—Sarah Broadie, University of St Andrews
Chapter 1. The Brothers
1. The house of Cephalus
2. The values of a gentleman
3. Why govern?
4. A real man
5. The values of a philosopher
Sources and Scholarly Contexts for Chapter 1
Chapter 2. City and Soul: Misunderstandings
1. A fork in the road
2. Williams' challenge
3. Lear's dilemma
Sources and Scholarly Contexts for Chapter 2
Chapter 3. City and Soul: A Metaphorical Understanding
1. A proportional metaphor
2. Timocracy, oligarchy, democracy
3. Why metaphors matter
Sources and Scholarly Contexts for Chapter 3
Chapter 4. Tyrant and King
1. An asymmetry
2. The tyrant
3. The philosopher-king
4. The city and man
Sources and Scholarly Contexts for Chapter 4
References
Index locorum
Literature and Literary Criticism: Classical Languages
Philosophy: History and Classic Works
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