
Topography and Deep Structure in Plato
The Construction of Place in the Dialogues
- 302 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Topography and Deep Structure in Plato
The Construction of Place in the Dialogues
About this book
In this book, Clinton DeBevoise Corcoran examines the use of place in Plato's dialogues. Corcoran argues that spatial representations, such as walls, caves, and roads, as well as the creation of eternal patterns and chaotic images in the particular spaces, times, characterizations, and actions of the dialogues, provide clues to Plato's philosophic project. Throughout the dialogues, the Good serves as an overarching ordering principle for the construction of place and the proper limit of spaces, whether they be here in the world, deep in the underworld, or in the nonspatial ideal realm of the Forms. The Good, since it escapes the limits of space and time, equips Plato with a powerful mythopoetic tool to create settings, frames, and arguments that superimpose different dimensions of reality, allowing worlds to overlap that would otherwise be incommensurable. The Good also serves as a powerful ethical tool for evaluating the order of different spaces. Corcoran explores how Plato uses wrestling and war as metaphors for the mixing of the nonspatial, eternal forms in the world and history, and how he uses spatial images throughout the dialogues to critique Athens's tragic overreach in the Peloponnesian War. Far from merely an incidental backdrop in the dialogues, place etches the tragic intersection of the mortal and the immortal, good and evil, and Athens's past, present, and future.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- List of Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction. Plato’s Esoteric Conception of Space
- Chapter 1. Descent into the Maelstrom
- Chapter 2. The Menexenus, Socrates, and the Battle of Arginusae
- Chapter 3. The Symbolism in the City Plan of Plato’s Atlantis
- Chapter 4. The Slow Boat from Delos, or Socrates’s Ship Comes In?
- Chapter 5. Wrestling and the Fair Fight in Plato
- Chapter 6. The Good as Architectonic
- Notes
- Bibliography
- General Index
- Index of Names
- Index Locorum
- Back Cover