Of Myth, Life, and War in Plato's Republic (Studies in Continental Thought)

"Baracchi has identified pivotal points around which the Republic operates; this allows a reading of the entire text to unfold.... a very beautifully written book." -- Walter Brogan"... a work that opens new and timely vistas within the Republic.... Her approach... is thorough and rigorous." -- John SallisAlthough Plato's Republic is perhaps the most influential text in the history of Western philosophy, Claudia Baracchi finds that the work remains obscure and enigmatic. To fully understand and appreciate its meaning, she argues, we must attend to what its original language discloses. Through a close reading of the Greek text, attentive to the pervasiveness of story and myth, Baracchi investigates the dialogue's major themes. The first part of the book addresses issues of generation, reproduction, and decay as they apply to the founding of Socrates' just city. The second part takes up the connection between war and the cycle of life, employing a thorough analysis of Plato's rendition of the myth of Er. Baracchi shows that the Republic is concerned throughout with the complex but intertwined issues of life and war, locating the site of this tangled web of growth and destruction in the mythical dimension of the Platonic city. "Baracchi has identified pivotal points around which the Republic operates; this allows a reading of the entire text to unfold ... a very beautifully written book."--Walter Brogan " ... a work that opens new and timely vistas within the Republic ... Her approach ... is thorough and rigorous."--John Sallis Although Plato's Republic is perhaps the most influential text in the history of Western philosophy, Claudia Baracchi finds that the work remains obscure and enigmatic. To fully understand and appreciate its meaning, she argues, we must attend to what its original language discloses. Through a close reading of the Greek text, attentive to the pervasiveness of story and myth, Baracchi investigates the dialogue's major themes. The first part of the book addresses issues of generation, reproduction, and decay as they apply to the founding of Socrates' just city. The second part takes up the connection between war and the cycle of life, employing a thorough analysis of Plato's rendition of the myth of Er. Baracchi shows that the Republic is concerned throughout with the complex but intertwined issues of life and war, locating the site of this tangled web of growth and destruction in the mythical dimension of the Platonic city "Baracchi has identified pivotal points around which the Republic operates; this allows a reading of the entire text to unfold. . . . a very beautifully written book." —Walter Brogan, Villanova University
Claudi Baracchi finds that, although arguably the most influential text in the history of Western philosophy, Plato's Republic remains obscure and enigmatic. To fully understand and appreciate its meaning, we must attend to what its original language discloses. In Baracchi's deft interpretation, primordial issues of life and death, darkness and light, force and harmony emerge from this important Platonic text. In a larger sense, Baracchi's stimulating book illuminates the fundamental function of myth in philosophical inquiry.

Author Biography: Claudia Baracchi is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at The New School. Her articles on philosophy, art, and literary theory have appeared in numerous journals in English and Italian.

Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 14 Proleptikón......Page 31 PART ONE. “OLD WOMEN TELLING TALES” (350 e) : THE CITY IN VIEW, THE CITY ENVISIONED......Page 50 I. On Regeneration......Page 52 II. The Law of (Re)production......Page 75 PART TWO. “A TALE WAS SAVED AND NOT LOST” (621 b) : VISION AT THE END OF THE VISIBLE......Page 102 III. Preliminary Remarks in a Rhapsodic Form......Page 104 IV. War......Page 146 V. Vision......Page 190 VI. (Re)birth......Page 227 Un-ending......Page 232 Appendix......Page 240 Selected Bibliography......Page 242 General Index......Page 254 Greek Index......Page 260 About the Author......Page 264 This reading of Plato's Republic illuminates the power of myth in the shaping of history. It demonstrates the pervasiveness of myth in Plato's dialogues as well as within philosophy generally The present chapter addresses the theme of political founding in Plato's dialogue on the.