Lexington Books
Pages: 298
•
Trim: 6½ x 9
978-1-4985-6278-2 • Hardback • June 2019 • $117.00 • (£90.00)
978-1-4985-6280-5 • Paperback • March 2022 • $39.99 • (£30.00)
978-1-4985-6279-9 • eBook • June 2019 • $38.00 • (£30.00)
Tiago Lier holds a doctorate in political science and is a research administrator at the University of Calgary.
Introduction
Chapter 1. Phaedrus
Chapter 2. The Urbane Speeches
Chapter 3. Palinode
Chapter 4. The Art of Speaking
Chapter 5. Writing the Eternal
Conclusion
Masterfully blending textual exegesis and philosophical reconstruction, Tiago Lier shows that the apparently disjointed elements of Plato's Phaedrus form parts of an organically connected and powerful whole. By examining both the drama and the arguments of the dialogue, Lier offers a provocative interpretation of Platonic eros and logos that will lead readers to rethink the modern world's reflexive disdain for rhetoric.
— Ryan K. Balot, University of Toronto
The Platonic Socrates is well-known for his critique of the Sophists' claim that the art of politics is synonymous with the art of deceptive rhetoric. But as Tiago Lier’s new book impressively demonstrates, Socrates’ longer range concern was to replace the selfishly motivated rhetoric of the Sophists with a just rhetoric that was philosophically guided by an understanding of the soul’s eros for knowledge of the eternal Good. As such, Plato’s Phaedrus is the fundamental dialogue for exploring how this new Socratic art of rhetoric both contributes to justice in the city by shaping the character of the citizenry and is a therapeutic experience for the rhetorician himself. From now on, all reflections on this key Platonic dialogue will have to begin by encountering this original and penetrating study.
— Waller R. Newell, Carleton University