Plato and the Question of Beauty

Drew A. Hyland, one of Continental philosophy's keenest interpreters of Plato, takes up the question of beauty in three Platonic dialogues, the Hippias Major, Symposium, and Phaedrus. What Plato meant by beauty is not easily characterized, and Hyland's close readings show that Plato ultimately gives up on the possibility of a definition. Plato's failure, however, tells us something important about beauty--that it cannot be reduced to logos. Exploring questions surrounding love, memory, and ideal form, Hyland draws out the connections between beauty, the possibility of philosophy, and philosophical living. This new reading of Plato provides a serious investigation into the meaning of beauty and places it at the very heart of philosophy.

Author: Drew A. Hyland
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 05/28/2008
Pages: 168
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780253219770

Review Citation(s):
Choice 01/01/2009

About the Author

Drew A. Hyland is Charles A. Dana Professor of Philosophy at Trinity College. He is editor (with John Panteleimon Manoussakis) of Heidegger and the Greeks (IUP, 2006).