The Ideas of Socrates [Hardcover]

The Ideas of Socratesoffers a unique interpretation of the ideas (forms,eide) in Plato's writings.?In this concise and accessible?study, Matthew S. Linck makes four major claims. Firstly, the ideas as Socrates discusses them in thePhaedo,Parmenides, andSymposiumare shown to be integral to the person of Socrates as presented in Plato's dialogues. Secondly, Linck argues that if we take Plato's dialogues as an integrated set of writings, then we must acknowledge that the mature Socrates is perfectly aware of the difficulties entailed in the positing of ideas. Thirdly, the book shows that Socrates' recourse to the ideas is not simply an epistemological issue but one of self-transformation. And finally Linck examines how?Socrates relates to the ideas in two ways, one practical, the other speculative.

As the only group of Plato's narrated dialogues that are not narrated by Socrates, thePhaedo,Parmenides, andSymposiumconstitute a unique collection. These three dialogues also contain accounts of Socrates as a young man, and all of these accounts explicitly discuss the ideas.The Ideas of Socratesserves as a commentary on the relevant passages of these dialogues and goes on to build up an explicit series of arguments about the ideas that will transform the way in which we approach these key texts.

This important new book will be of interest to anyone involved in the study of Ancient Philosophy.

Introduction



Pythagorean Overture




Chapter One:Phaedo
I. Blindness
II. Anaxagoras III. Socrates' Second Sailing
Chapter Two:Parmenides
IV. Socrates and Zeno
V. Socrates' Ideas
VI. The Challenge of Parmenides VII. Ideas and the One




Chapter Three:Symposium