Parallels between tyrant and philosopher in Plato's Republic
Connell, Sophia M. (2018) Parallels between tyrant and philosopher in Plato's Republic. Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought 35 (2), pp. 447-477. ISSN 0142-257X.
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Abstract
Plato's Republic presents the characters of the philosopher and the tyrant as similar. Strongly focused by indiscriminate erotic motivation, both defy convention and lack familiar emotional responses, which make them appear to be mad. This essay argues that Plato put forward these parallels partly in order to defend Socrates from the charge of corrupting the young, partly to present a possible way to overthrow the current regime and partly to show the ineffectiveness of democracy. The very best leaders may look like tyrants; it is only through proper philosophical education that their true natures can be discerned.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keyword(s) / Subject(s): | tyrant, Republic, philosopher, erôs, democracy, Alcibiades |
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Historical Studies |
| Depositing User: | Sophia Connell |
| Date Deposited: | 26 Feb 2019 10:11 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:41 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/21953 |
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