German Political Thought and the Discourse of Platonism : Finding the Way Out of the Cave

Taking Plato's allegory of the cave as its starting-point, this book demonstrates how later European thinkers can be read as a reaction and a response to key aspects of this allegory and its discourse of enchainment and liberation. Focusing on key thinkers in the tradition of European (and specifically German) political thought including Kant, Marx, Hegel, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and the Frankfurt School, it relates them back to such foundational figures as Rousseau, Aristotle, and in particular Plato. All these thinkers are considered in relation to key passages from their major works, accompanied by an explanatory commentary which seeks to follow a conceptual and imagistic thread through the labyrinth of these complex, yet fascinating, texts. This book will appeal in particular to scholars of political theory, philosophy, and German language and culture. Paul Bishop is William Jacks Chair of Modern Languages at University of Glasgow, UK. His previous publications include Carl Jung (2014), A Companion to Friedrich Nietzsche, Life and Works (2012), and Nietzsche and Antiquity: His Reaction and Response to the Classical Tradition (2004). Front Matter ....Pages i-xxiii What Is Politics? (Paul Bishop)....Pages 1-24 Plato and the Cave (Paul Bishop)....Pages 25-59 Aristotle and the Empirical Approach (Paul Bishop)....Pages 61-92 Rousseau and the Social Contract (Paul Bishop)....Pages 93-125 Kant and the Categorical Imperative (Paul Bishop)....Pages 127-154 Hegel and the Dialectic (Paul Bishop)....Pages 155-194 Marx and Engels: The Revolution (Paul Bishop)....Pages 195-222 Nietzsche and Heidegger: A Glance to the Right (Paul Bishop)....Pages 223-284 The Frankfurt School—Adorno and Horkheimer (Paul Bishop)....Pages 285-314 Habermas and Communicative Action (Paul Bishop)....Pages 315-327 By Way of Conclusion (Paul Bishop)....Pages 329-362 Back Matter ....Pages 363-408