{"product_id":"virtues-of-authenticity-essays-on-plato-and-socrates-paperback","title":"Virtues of Authenticity: Essays on Plato and Socrates - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAlexander Nehamas\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe eminent philosopher and classical scholar Alexander Nehamas presents here a collection of his most important essays on Plato and Socrates. The papers are unified in theme by the idea that Plato's central philosophical concern in metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics was to distinguish the authentic from the fake, the original from its imitations. In approach, the collection displays Nehamas's characteristic combination of analytical rigor and sensitivity to the literary form and dramatic effect of Plato's work. Together, the papers represent Nehamas's distinct and original contributions to scholarship on Plato and Socrates and serve as a comprehensive introduction to the thought of these two philosophers. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In the book's opening section, Nehamas discusses Plato's representation of Socrates as a model of authentic human goodness, showing that Plato's Socrates is a more skeptical, troubling, and individualistic thinker than is usually supposed. The papers in the second section form a sustained defense of a new and important understanding of Plato's theory of the forms and the evolution of that theory in Plato's later writings. The third section examines Plato's contention that popular entertainment--by which he meant Greek epic and tragic poetry--misleads its audience into a debased life, an argument Nehamas relates to modern anxieties about television and other forms of popular culture. The collection also includes a discussion of Plato's use of the dialogue form in his representation of Socrates and carefully examines the combination of literary and philosophical elements in his work. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Nehamas argues in the book that Plato's specific judgments of what is authentic are often flawed, but that his idea of authenticity as the mark of truth, beauty, and goodness is stronger than many modern scholars have assumed. In drawing together Nehamas's many influential ideas about Plato and Socrates, \u003ci\u003eVirtues of Authenticity\u003c\/i\u003e is a major contribution to the study of ancient Greek philosophy.\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"I cannot imagine that any scholar of Plato is unfamiliar with the work of Alexander Nehamas, but few will know all of these essays. It is a great boon to have them all collected and published under one cover. With the passing of his teacher, Gregory Vlastos, there is no one who combines philosophical acumen with literary sensitivity quite so well.\"\u003cb\u003e--Allan Silverman, Ohio State University\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander Nehamas\u003c\/b\u003e is Edmund N. Carpenter II Class of 1943 Professor in the Humanities, Professor of Philosophy, and Profes-sor of Comparative Literature at Princeton University. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eNietzsche: Life as Literature\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault.\u003c\/i\u003e With Paul Woodruff, he translated and introduced Plato's \u003ci\u003eSymposium\u003c\/i\u003e and Plato's\u003ci\u003e Phaedrus\u003c\/i\u003e. With David J. Furley, he coedited \u003ci\u003eAristotle's \u003c\/i\u003eRhetoric\u003ci\u003e: Philosophical Essays\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 376\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.1 x 9.2 x 6.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e December 06, 1998\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67849742975283,"sku":"9780691001784","price":92.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/mK65Ra1oln9780691001784.webp?v=1793503849","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/virtues-of-authenticity-essays-on-plato-and-socrates-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}