Abstract

To the student familiar with the dialogues this book offers a fresh, wide, and daring perspective on Plato; to the scholar it offers a welcome alternative to dogmatic views. Concentrating on the interplay between Plato's life, work, and times, Brumbaugh sees three stages in the dialogues: 1) the early commitment to philosophy as shared inquiry, 2) a mature and systematic vision, 3) criticism and application of the system. The dialogues make sense if they are interpreted self-referentially; that is, the characters, action, and aesthetic wholeness of the dialogues "concretize" their philosophical or theoretical import. With handy charts, diagrams, and an annotated bibliography, the return to Plato is made easier--and more adventurous.--A. B.