Fraught Decisions in Plato and Shakespeare

Fraught Decisions in Plato and Shakespeare

Author: Dianne Rothleder

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2020-11-17

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 1786616289

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In the reincarnation myth in Book X of Plato’s Republic, the unnamed first soul, who has lived a good life and has been rewarded in the afterlife, chooses a new life and fate, and chooses catastrophically badly. He finds himself fated to eat his own children. Despite being warned to blame only himself, he wails and blames anything and everything else in his conviction that his fate is undeserved. Though he should not be shocked because he has made this choice himself, he is incredulous because he has completely misunderstood the nature of his choice. Starting with Plato’s myth, this book looks at the errors this soul has made and considers these errors through both the Republic and a series of paired Shakespeare plays. Reading the Republic along with Othello and The Comedy of Errors, the first section focuses on the misreading of comedy and tragedy in the life of the individual; returning to the Republic and using The Merchant of Venice and Pericles, Part II focuses on the broadened context of the misuse of political and economic forces; returning again to the Republic and reading Timon of Athens and Measure for Measure, Part III focuses on the broadest context, the misunderstanding of the inseparability of birth and infinite debt. The hope of the text, and the hope of human life, is to help us avoid choosing lives that devour what we most love.


Book Synopsis Fraught Decisions in Plato and Shakespeare by : Dianne Rothleder

Download or read book Fraught Decisions in Plato and Shakespeare written by Dianne Rothleder and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2020-11-17 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the reincarnation myth in Book X of Plato’s Republic, the unnamed first soul, who has lived a good life and has been rewarded in the afterlife, chooses a new life and fate, and chooses catastrophically badly. He finds himself fated to eat his own children. Despite being warned to blame only himself, he wails and blames anything and everything else in his conviction that his fate is undeserved. Though he should not be shocked because he has made this choice himself, he is incredulous because he has completely misunderstood the nature of his choice. Starting with Plato’s myth, this book looks at the errors this soul has made and considers these errors through both the Republic and a series of paired Shakespeare plays. Reading the Republic along with Othello and The Comedy of Errors, the first section focuses on the misreading of comedy and tragedy in the life of the individual; returning to the Republic and using The Merchant of Venice and Pericles, Part II focuses on the broadened context of the misuse of political and economic forces; returning again to the Republic and reading Timon of Athens and Measure for Measure, Part III focuses on the broadest context, the misunderstanding of the inseparability of birth and infinite debt. The hope of the text, and the hope of human life, is to help us avoid choosing lives that devour what we most love.

Politics, Money, and Persuasion

Politics, Money, and Persuasion

Author: John Russon

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2021-09-14

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 0253057698

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In Politics, Money, and Persuasion, distinguished philosopher John Russon offers a new framework for interpreting Plato's The Republic. For Russon, Plato's work is about the distinctive nature of what it is to be a human being and, correspondingly, what is distinctive about the nature of human society. Russon focuses on the realities of our everyday experience to come to profoundly insightful assessments of our human realities: the nature of the city, the nature of knowledge, and the nature of human psychology. Russon's argument concentrates on the ambivalence of logos, which includes reflections on politics and philosophy and their place in human life, how humans have shaped the environment, our interactions with money, the economy, and the pursuit of the good in social and political systems. Politics, Money, and Persuasion offers a deeply personal but also practical kind of philosophical reading of Plato's classic text. It emphasizes the tight connection between the life of city and the life of the soul, demonstrating both the crucial role that human cognitive excellence and psychological health play in political and social life.


Book Synopsis Politics, Money, and Persuasion by : John Russon

Download or read book Politics, Money, and Persuasion written by John Russon and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2021-09-14 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Politics, Money, and Persuasion, distinguished philosopher John Russon offers a new framework for interpreting Plato's The Republic. For Russon, Plato's work is about the distinctive nature of what it is to be a human being and, correspondingly, what is distinctive about the nature of human society. Russon focuses on the realities of our everyday experience to come to profoundly insightful assessments of our human realities: the nature of the city, the nature of knowledge, and the nature of human psychology. Russon's argument concentrates on the ambivalence of logos, which includes reflections on politics and philosophy and their place in human life, how humans have shaped the environment, our interactions with money, the economy, and the pursuit of the good in social and political systems. Politics, Money, and Persuasion offers a deeply personal but also practical kind of philosophical reading of Plato's classic text. It emphasizes the tight connection between the life of city and the life of the soul, demonstrating both the crucial role that human cognitive excellence and psychological health play in political and social life.

Unphenomenal Shakespeare

Unphenomenal Shakespeare

Author: Julián Jiménez Heffernan

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2023-01-16

Total Pages: 637

ISBN-13: 9004526633

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The times when abstaining from cakes and ale was seen as a sign of critical virtue are over. Phenomenal Shakespeare is at your back lawn with a picnic-basket jammed with intersubjectivity, embodiment, immediacy, representation. If you feel like passing, read this book.


Book Synopsis Unphenomenal Shakespeare by : Julián Jiménez Heffernan

Download or read book Unphenomenal Shakespeare written by Julián Jiménez Heffernan and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2023-01-16 with total page 637 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The times when abstaining from cakes and ale was seen as a sign of critical virtue are over. Phenomenal Shakespeare is at your back lawn with a picnic-basket jammed with intersubjectivity, embodiment, immediacy, representation. If you feel like passing, read this book.

Remains of a Self

Remains of a Self

Author: Cathrine Bjørnholt Michaelsen

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-06-29

Total Pages: 325

ISBN-13: 153815336X

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From the twentieth century in the twenty-first, psychoanalysis and deconstruction have challenged, and continue to challenge, our conceptions of subjectivity and selfhood. Psychoanalysis revealed that even in our innermost households we are never quite alone; rather, instances of “otherness” incessantly interfere in our most intimate relation to ourselves, forcing us to adapt continuously. Deconstruction, inheriting both this psychoanalytic disclosure and Heidegger’s destruction of the history of metaphysics, went to the foundations of the Western constructions of “the subject” and “the self,” only to find how a destabilizing otherness was always already haunting them. What, if anything, remains of the self in the aftermath? Early on in the wake of deconstruction, a certain misconceived and simplified notion of the “death of the subject” was proclaimed and in recent years more or less successful attempts have been made at reviving the notions of “the subject,” “the self,” and “agency.” In contrast to these attempts at revival, this book offers a two-pronged approach: On the one hand, it argues that neither psychoanalysis nor deconstruction propounds a simple annihilation of the subject or liquidation of the self; on the other hand, however, neither do they pave the way for a “return to the subject” or “resurrection of the self” that would allow us once again to become confident about our presence to ourselves. Instead, this book suggests that if we set ourselves the task of taking up the heritage from psychoanalysis and deconstruction in a serious manner, we are obliged to retrace the subject and the self as undergoing perpetual auto-deconstruction.


Book Synopsis Remains of a Self by : Cathrine Bjørnholt Michaelsen

Download or read book Remains of a Self written by Cathrine Bjørnholt Michaelsen and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-06-29 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the twentieth century in the twenty-first, psychoanalysis and deconstruction have challenged, and continue to challenge, our conceptions of subjectivity and selfhood. Psychoanalysis revealed that even in our innermost households we are never quite alone; rather, instances of “otherness” incessantly interfere in our most intimate relation to ourselves, forcing us to adapt continuously. Deconstruction, inheriting both this psychoanalytic disclosure and Heidegger’s destruction of the history of metaphysics, went to the foundations of the Western constructions of “the subject” and “the self,” only to find how a destabilizing otherness was always already haunting them. What, if anything, remains of the self in the aftermath? Early on in the wake of deconstruction, a certain misconceived and simplified notion of the “death of the subject” was proclaimed and in recent years more or less successful attempts have been made at reviving the notions of “the subject,” “the self,” and “agency.” In contrast to these attempts at revival, this book offers a two-pronged approach: On the one hand, it argues that neither psychoanalysis nor deconstruction propounds a simple annihilation of the subject or liquidation of the self; on the other hand, however, neither do they pave the way for a “return to the subject” or “resurrection of the self” that would allow us once again to become confident about our presence to ourselves. Instead, this book suggests that if we set ourselves the task of taking up the heritage from psychoanalysis and deconstruction in a serious manner, we are obliged to retrace the subject and the self as undergoing perpetual auto-deconstruction.

Refugees

Refugees

Author: Nathan Bell

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-03-18

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 1786614200

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There have never been more refugees, across the world from Myanmar to Syria, than at this moment. Many more millions of refugees are likely to be displaced by the effects of climate change. Why has politics failed to produce adequate responses to these challenges, and not heeded the lessons of refugee crises of the past? Are human rights and international law, or more radically, the case for 'open borders', sufficient to address them? Nathan Bell argues for nothing less than a new concept of the political: that societies (liberal or not, in the mode of the sovereign state or some other form) embrace an ethos of responsibility for others, where the right to seek asylum becomes foundational for politics itself. Such a proposal is at the antipodes of Schmitt's friend-enemy distinction, such that hospitality and not hostility forms the basis of political decision-making. This book comprises two halves: the first establishes the theoretical basis of the ethos of responsibility, with particular reference to the writings of Hannah Arendt, Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida, while the second half examines these theorists in the context of historical and contemporary case studies. Finally, the book calls for a ‘politics of hauntology’ in memory of the missing - those who might have been rescued, and those yet to come, who are already among the disappeared. In this urgent work, Bell demonstrates that a radical reconfiguration of the understanding of politics is required in order to safeguard the future and human dignity of stateless persons.


Book Synopsis Refugees by : Nathan Bell

Download or read book Refugees written by Nathan Bell and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-03-18 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There have never been more refugees, across the world from Myanmar to Syria, than at this moment. Many more millions of refugees are likely to be displaced by the effects of climate change. Why has politics failed to produce adequate responses to these challenges, and not heeded the lessons of refugee crises of the past? Are human rights and international law, or more radically, the case for 'open borders', sufficient to address them? Nathan Bell argues for nothing less than a new concept of the political: that societies (liberal or not, in the mode of the sovereign state or some other form) embrace an ethos of responsibility for others, where the right to seek asylum becomes foundational for politics itself. Such a proposal is at the antipodes of Schmitt's friend-enemy distinction, such that hospitality and not hostility forms the basis of political decision-making. This book comprises two halves: the first establishes the theoretical basis of the ethos of responsibility, with particular reference to the writings of Hannah Arendt, Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida, while the second half examines these theorists in the context of historical and contemporary case studies. Finally, the book calls for a ‘politics of hauntology’ in memory of the missing - those who might have been rescued, and those yet to come, who are already among the disappeared. In this urgent work, Bell demonstrates that a radical reconfiguration of the understanding of politics is required in order to safeguard the future and human dignity of stateless persons.

Entropic Philosophy

Entropic Philosophy

Author: Shannon M. Mussett

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2022-01-31

Total Pages: 221

ISBN-13: 178661247X

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Now is a time of tremendous anxiety about the present and future state of the world. As the second law of thermodynamics states, entropy never decreases, time marches relentlessly forward, and closed systems inevitably break down. Entropy serves as a powerful metaphor capturing expressions of growing malaise and decline. Entropic Philosophy: Chaos, Breakdown, and Creation builds on the meaning of entropy from the Greek entropia, signifying “a turning toward” or “transformation.” Developing a philosophy of entropy, this book draws variously from anthropology, psychoanalysis, literature, art, and the history of philosophy. This approach opens pathways for reverence and care that are crucial in preventing fear, existential inertia, and despair.


Book Synopsis Entropic Philosophy by : Shannon M. Mussett

Download or read book Entropic Philosophy written by Shannon M. Mussett and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2022-01-31 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now is a time of tremendous anxiety about the present and future state of the world. As the second law of thermodynamics states, entropy never decreases, time marches relentlessly forward, and closed systems inevitably break down. Entropy serves as a powerful metaphor capturing expressions of growing malaise and decline. Entropic Philosophy: Chaos, Breakdown, and Creation builds on the meaning of entropy from the Greek entropia, signifying “a turning toward” or “transformation.” Developing a philosophy of entropy, this book draws variously from anthropology, psychoanalysis, literature, art, and the history of philosophy. This approach opens pathways for reverence and care that are crucial in preventing fear, existential inertia, and despair.

Conjunctions of Mind, Soul and Body from Plato to the Enlightenment

Conjunctions of Mind, Soul and Body from Plato to the Enlightenment

Author: Danijela Kambaskovic

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-09-25

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 9401790728

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This book examines the nexus between the corporeal, emotional, spiritual and intellectual aspects of human life as represented in the writing of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Authors from different fields examine not only the question of the body and soul (or body and mind) but also how this question fits into a broader framework in the medieval and early modern period. Concepts such as gender and society, morality, sexuality, theological precepts and medical knowledge are a part of this broader framework. This discussion of ideas draws from over two thousand years of Western thought: from Plato in the fifth century BC and the fourth century Byzantine dialogues on the soul, to the philosophical and medical writings of the early 1700s. There are four sections to this book: each section is based on where the authors have found a conjunction between the body and mind/soul. The work begins with a section on text and self-perception, which focuses on creative output from the period. The second conjunction is human emotions which are described in their social contexts. The third is sex, where the human body and mind are traditionally believed to meet. The fourth section, Material Souls, engages with bodies and other material aspects of existence perceived, studied or utilised as material signs of emotional and spiritual activity.


Book Synopsis Conjunctions of Mind, Soul and Body from Plato to the Enlightenment by : Danijela Kambaskovic

Download or read book Conjunctions of Mind, Soul and Body from Plato to the Enlightenment written by Danijela Kambaskovic and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-09-25 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the nexus between the corporeal, emotional, spiritual and intellectual aspects of human life as represented in the writing of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Authors from different fields examine not only the question of the body and soul (or body and mind) but also how this question fits into a broader framework in the medieval and early modern period. Concepts such as gender and society, morality, sexuality, theological precepts and medical knowledge are a part of this broader framework. This discussion of ideas draws from over two thousand years of Western thought: from Plato in the fifth century BC and the fourth century Byzantine dialogues on the soul, to the philosophical and medical writings of the early 1700s. There are four sections to this book: each section is based on where the authors have found a conjunction between the body and mind/soul. The work begins with a section on text and self-perception, which focuses on creative output from the period. The second conjunction is human emotions which are described in their social contexts. The third is sex, where the human body and mind are traditionally believed to meet. The fourth section, Material Souls, engages with bodies and other material aspects of existence perceived, studied or utilised as material signs of emotional and spiritual activity.

The Woman Question in Plato's Republic

The Woman Question in Plato's Republic

Author: Mary Townsend

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2017-08-07

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 1498542700

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In this book, Mary Townsend proposes that, contrary to the current scholarship on Plato's Republic, Socrates does not in fact set out to prove the weakness of women. Rather, she argues that close attention to the drama of the Republic reveals that Plato dramatizes the reluctance of men to allow women into the public sphere and offers a deeply aporetic vision of women’s nature and political position—a vision full of concern not only for the human community, but for the desires of women themselves.


Book Synopsis The Woman Question in Plato's Republic by : Mary Townsend

Download or read book The Woman Question in Plato's Republic written by Mary Townsend and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2017-08-07 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, Mary Townsend proposes that, contrary to the current scholarship on Plato's Republic, Socrates does not in fact set out to prove the weakness of women. Rather, she argues that close attention to the drama of the Republic reveals that Plato dramatizes the reluctance of men to allow women into the public sphere and offers a deeply aporetic vision of women’s nature and political position—a vision full of concern not only for the human community, but for the desires of women themselves.

Plato's Republic as a Philosophical Drama on Doing Well

Plato's Republic as a Philosophical Drama on Doing Well

Author: Ivor Ludlam

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2014-10-30

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 0739190202

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Transcending dominant debates of whether Plato's Republic is about the ideal state, the soul, art, or education, Ivor Ludlam's analysis treats the dialogue as pure conversation. Returning to the original Greek, Ludlam examines the dialogue both in its details and in its entirety. The result is a holistic interpretation wherein Ludlam reveals how each character becomes a paradigm for an aspect of the Republic's central theme—the apparent good. Ultimately, it is the individual aspects of apparent good that the characters represent that determines the final course of the dialogue. Revisioning the central theme of the Republic through the motivations and interactions of its characters, Ludlam provides an innovative, holistic, and dramatic analysis of this foundational work.


Book Synopsis Plato's Republic as a Philosophical Drama on Doing Well by : Ivor Ludlam

Download or read book Plato's Republic as a Philosophical Drama on Doing Well written by Ivor Ludlam and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2014-10-30 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Transcending dominant debates of whether Plato's Republic is about the ideal state, the soul, art, or education, Ivor Ludlam's analysis treats the dialogue as pure conversation. Returning to the original Greek, Ludlam examines the dialogue both in its details and in its entirety. The result is a holistic interpretation wherein Ludlam reveals how each character becomes a paradigm for an aspect of the Republic's central theme—the apparent good. Ultimately, it is the individual aspects of apparent good that the characters represent that determines the final course of the dialogue. Revisioning the central theme of the Republic through the motivations and interactions of its characters, Ludlam provides an innovative, holistic, and dramatic analysis of this foundational work.

Liberation and Authority

Liberation and Authority

Author: Nicholas Thorne

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2023-03-15

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781793639066

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Liberation and Authority provides original, comparative readings of Plato's Gorgias, the first book of the Republic, and Thucydides' History, arguing that they share similarities not only in the oft-noted "natural justice" of Callicles, Thrasymachus, and the Melian Dialogue, but also in a development that runs through the whole of each.


Book Synopsis Liberation and Authority by : Nicholas Thorne

Download or read book Liberation and Authority written by Nicholas Thorne and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2023-03-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Liberation and Authority provides original, comparative readings of Plato's Gorgias, the first book of the Republic, and Thucydides' History, arguing that they share similarities not only in the oft-noted "natural justice" of Callicles, Thrasymachus, and the Melian Dialogue, but also in a development that runs through the whole of each.