The Platonic Alcibiades I: The Dialogue and Its Ancient Reception

Although it was influential for several hundred years after it first appeared, doubts about the authenticity of the Platonic Alcibiades I have unnecessarily impeded its interpretation ever since. It positions itself firmly within the Platonic and Socratic traditions, and should therefore be approached in the same way as most other Platonic dialogues. It paints a vivid portrait of a Socrates in his late thirties tackling the unrealistic ambitions of the youthful Alcibiades, urging him to come to know himself and to care for himself. Fran ois Renaud and Harold Tarrant re-examine the drama and philosophy of Alcibiades I with an eye on those interpreters who cherished it most. Modern scholars regularly play down one or more of the religious, erotic, philosophic or dramatic aspects of the dialogue, so ancient Platonist interpreters are given special consideration. This rich study will interest a wide range of readers in ancient philosophy.

Author: François Renaud, Harold Tarrant
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 04/12/2018
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.91lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.64d
ISBN: 9781108456012

About the Author
Tarrant, Harold: - Harold Tarrant is Emeritus Professor at the University of Newcastle, Australia, where he was Professor of Classics for several years. He has authored or co-authored several books relating to ancient Platonism from Plato through to Olympiodorus, and has also co-edited several volumes, the latest being The Neoplatonic Socrates (with Danielle A. Layne, 2014).Renaud, François: - François Renaud is a Professor of Philosophy at the Université de Moncton (New Brunswick). He has published mostly on Plato, Platonic interpretation both in Antiquity and in modern times, and Plato's Socratic legacy. His major publications include Hermeneutic Philosophy and Plato: Gadamer's Response to the Philebus (co-edited with Christopher Gill, 2010).