The rhetoric of Plato's Republic
Subtitle: democracy and the philosophical problem of persuasion
By: James L. Kastely
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 260
ISBN-13: 9780226278629
Subjects: Persuasion (Rhetoric); Philosophy; Democracy; Ancient Philosophy
Description: Plato isn't exactly thought of as a champion of democracy, and perhaps even less as an important rhetorical theorist. In this book, James L. Kastely recasts Plato in just these lights, offering a vivid new reading of one of his most important works, 'The Republic'. At heart, Kastely demonstrates, this text is a democratic epic poem and pioneering work in rhetorical theory. Examining issues of justice, communication, persuasion and audience, he also uncovers a seedbed of theoretical ideas within it that resonate all the way up to our contemporary democratic practices.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 241-244) and index.
Table of contents: title: The Republic: Plato's democratic epic; title: The elenchic victory and the failure of persuasion; title: Glaucon's request for a persuasive argument; title: Confronting obstacles to persuasion; title: The limits of persuasion: the residual force of culture and the unruliness of desire; title: The argument for philosophy; title: A rhetorical account of philosophy; title: Compelling a philosopher; title: A genuinely persuasive defense of justice?; title: The rhetorical office of poetry; title: Philosophical rhetoric.