DOI
10.1017/S0034670517001267
Abstract
In her magisterial Plato's Philosophers, Catherine Zuckert presents a radically new interpretation of Plato's dialogues. In doing so, she insists we must overcome reading them through the lens of Aristotle, whose influence has obscured the true nature of Plato's philosophy. However, in her works dealing with Aristotle's political science, Zuckert indicates several advantages of his approach to understanding politics. In this article, I explore the reasons why Zuckert finds Aristotle a problematic guide to Plato's philosophy as well as what she sees as the character and benefits of Aristotle's political theory. I conclude by suggesting a possible reconciliation between Zuckert's Aristotle and her Plato, insofar as both the Socrates whom Plato made his hero and Aristotle agree that political communities will rarely direct citizens toward virtue by means of law and that we must instead look to informal means of doing so.
Document Type
Post-print Article
Publication Date
3-2018
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2018 University of Notre Dame. Article first published online: April 19, 2018.
DOI: 10.1017/S0034670517001267
The definitive version is available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-politics/article/series-of-footnotes-to-platos-philosophers/524BE889EB5E51669A425FD3705041C5
Please note that downloads of the article are for private/personal use only.
Full citation:
Cherry, Kevin M. “A Series of Footnotes to Plato’s Philosophers.” The Review of Politics 80, no. 2 (Spring 2018): 257-269. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670517001267.
Recommended Citation
Cherry, Kevin M., "A Series of Footnotes to Plato's Philosophers" (2018). Political Science Faculty Publications. 239.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/polisci-faculty-publications/239