Ruling Passion: The Erotics of Statecraft in Platonic Political PhilosophyRuling Passion is the only book-length study of tyranny, statesmanship, and civic virtue in three major Platonic dialogues, the Georgias, the Symposium, and the Republic. It is also the first extended interpretation of eros as the key to Plato's understanding of both the depths of human vice and the heights of human aspirations for virtue and happiness. Through his detailed commentary and eloquent insights on the three dialogues, Waller Newell demonstrates how, for Plato, tyranny is a misguided longing for erotic satisfaction that can be corrected by the education of eros toward the proper objects if its pleasure: civic virtue and philosophy. In unfolding these reflections through his analysis, Newell also demonstrates a rich and deep grasp of the complexities of the tyrannical personality and countless new insights into the dramatic dimensions of Plato's dialogues. Written in a clear and engaging style, Ruling Passion will be of interest to philosophers, political theorists, classicists, historians, and anyone generally intrigued by the ironies, mysteries, and longings of human nature and psychology. |
Contents
Two Kinds of Eros | 12 |
Rule or SelfRule? The Two Ways of Life | 20 |
The Ontology of Primordialism and the Platonic Critique | 43 |
Copyright | |
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according Adeimantus Agathon Alcibiades ambition Apology argue argument Aristophanes art of ruling ascent Athenian Athens Auxiliaries beautiful beloved Book Callicles Cave chapter character citizens civic education civic virtue claim clarify common contrast conventional correct opinion cosmos craft analogy demos depicts desires dialogue Diotima's Ladder discussion distinction emerge eros erotic longing Euthyphro explore friendship Glaucon gods Gorgias Greek ground hedonism Heracleitus honor Image interlocutors justice kallipolis kind knowledge laws Leo Strauss Leontius Leontius's logos lover Meletus moderation moral natural master noble objects Oedipus one's optimal orderliness paideia passions pederasty Peloponnesian War philosopher's philosophical erotics Phronesis phusis Plato Platonic political pleasure polis political community political philosophy political psychology possess pre-Socratics primordial primordialist ontology prospect Protagoras reason Republic rhetoric ruler sense shame Sophists soul soul's speech spirited spiritedness statecraft statesmanship Symposium teaching technē Theaetetus Thucydides thumos tion tragic transcendence tyranny understanding University Press wisdom