Plato's Fable

On the Mortal Condition in Shadowy Times

Joshua Mitchell, Robert P. George

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Hardback

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English

Princeton University Press
06 June 2006

Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500; Political science & theory; Political ideologies

Series: New Forum Books

"This book is an exploration of Plato's Republic that bypasses arcane scholarly debates. Plato's Fable provides refreshing insight into what, in Plato's view, is the central problem of life: the mortal propensity to adopt defective ways of answering the question of how to live well. How, in light of these tendencies, can humankind be saved? Joshua Mitchell discusses the question in unprecedented depth by examining one of the great books of Western civilization. He draws us beyond the ancients/moderns debate, and beyond the notion that Plato's Republic is best understood as shedding light on the promise of discursive democracy. Instead, Mitchell argues, the question that ought to preoccupy us today is neither ""reason"" nor ""discourse,"" but rather ""imitation."" To what extent is man first and foremost an ""imitative"" being? This, Mitchell asserts, is the subtext of the great political and foreign policy debates of our times. Plato's Fable is not simply a work of textual exegesis. It is an attempt to move debates within political theory beyond their current location.

Mitchell recovers insights about the depth of the problem of mortal imitation from Plato's magnificent work, and seeks to explicate the meaning of Plato's central claim--that ""only philosophy can save us."""

By: Joshua Mitchell
Series edited by: Robert P. George
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Volume: 40
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9780691124384
ISBN 10: 0691124388
Series: New Forum Books
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 06 June 2006
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Joshua Mitchellis Professor of Government at Georgetown University, where he teaches the history of political thought.

Reviews for Plato's Fable: On the Mortal Condition in Shadowy Times

Plato's Fable is ... a well researched and eloquently expressed work of scholarship, and as such would be a valuable tool for any student of ancient philosophy in particular along with moral, metaphysical and political philosophy in general. -- Kenneth Royce Moore, The Philosophical Quarterly