It is widely agreed that Plato laid the foundations for the whole history of western thought and, well over 2000 years later, his work is still studied by every student of philosophy. Yet his thought and writings continue to evoke perplexity in readers; and perplexity (aporia) is itself a characteristic of many of his writings, a recurrent motif of his thought, and apparently an important stage one must pass through along the path to wisdom that Plato presents. Plato: A Guide for the Perplexed is a clear and thorough account of Plato's philosophy, his major works and ideas, providing an ideal guide to the important and complex thought of this key philosopher. The book offers a detailed review of all the major dialogues and explores the particular perplexities of the dialogue form. Geared towards the specific requirements of students who need to reach a sound understanding of Plato's thought, the book also provides a cogent and reliable survey of the whole history of Platonic interpretation and his far-reaching influence. This is the ideal companion to the study of this most influential and challenging of philosophers.
Introduction; Part I. Backgrounds; 1. Plato's Life and Works; 2. The Contexts for Interpreting Plato's Dialogues; Part II. Sources of Perplexity: Change; 3. A Brief History of Platonism and Plato Interpretation; 4. Dialogue Form; 5. Arguments and Ideas, Vision and Doctrines; 6. Fables, Myths, and Stories; 7. Irony and other forms of humor; 8. Play and seriousness; 9. Paradox; Part III. Plato's Philosophy: Permanence; 10. Platonic Anonymity and the Nature of Plato's Philosophy; 11. Persistent Themes and Plato's Vision; 12. The Platonic Path to Wisdom; Part IV: Help in Reading and Understanding Plato's Dialogues and His Philosophy; 13. How to Read a Platonic Dialogue; 14. Summaries of the Dialogues; Glossary of Greek Terms; Bibliography.
