Plato and the Divided Self

Rachel Barney editor Charles Brittain editor Tad Brennan editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:27th Mar '14

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Plato and the Divided Self cover

Investigates Plato's account of the tripartite soul, looking at how the theory evolved over the Republic, Phaedrus and Timaeus.

Plato's account of the tripartite soul is one of his most famous and influential yet least understood theories. The authors in this book investigate how the theory evolves over the Republic, Phaedrus and Timaeus and how it was developed further by important Platonists such as Galen, Plutarch and Plotinus.Plato's account of the tripartite soul is a memorable feature of dialogues like the Republic, Phaedrus and Timaeus: it is one of his most famous and influential yet least understood theories. It presents human nature as both essentially multiple and diverse - and yet somehow also one - divided into a fully human 'rational' part, a lion-like 'spirited part' and an 'appetitive' part likened to a many-headed beast. How these parts interact, how exactly each shapes our agency and how they are affected by phenomena like erôs and education is complicated and controversial. The essays in this book investigate how the theory evolves over the whole of Plato's work, including the Republic, Phaedrus and Timaeus, and how it was developed further by important Platonists such as Galen, Plutarch and Plotinus. They will be of interest to a wide audience in philosophy and classics.

'This volume represents an invaluable contribution to the field of Platonic moral psychology. The essays it contains are filled with fresh ideas, insights, and challenges, and they are sure to stimulate new debates in the ongoing scholarly discussion of Plato's views on the soul.' Joshua Wilburn, Philosophy in Review

ISBN: 9781107654273

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 21mm

Weight: 550g

410 pages