Plato's Politics of Passion: Erôs, Thumos, and Socratic Self-Knowledge in the Charmides, Republic, and...

— —

Alan Pichanick (Teaching Professor, Villanova University)

Plato's Politics of Passion

Erôs, Thumos, and Socratic Self-Knowledge in the Charmides, Republic, and Symposium

Alan Pichanick (Teaching Professor, Villanova University)

$291.95 $233.54

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

State University of New York Press
01 October 2025

Ancient history: to c 500 CE; Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500; Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge

Series: SUNY series in Ancient Greek Philosophy

An original reading of three Platonic dialogues concerned with the soul, tyranny, self-knowledge, and the beautiful.

Guided by the question ""What is Socratic self-knowledge,"" this study begins with Plato's Charmides because it is within this work, more than any other, that the utility of self-knowledge becomes the predominant theme. In this dialogue, Socrates explores the possibility of the very culmination of his philosophical investigations—knowledge of ignorance. This happens through an investigation of the perplexing concept, sôphrosunê. Alan Pichanick's approach offers a new perspective upon the perplexing exploration of sôphrosunê in the Charmides by placing much greater emphasis on the neglected ""erotic setting"" in the dramatic introduction and argues that our reading of the rest of the dialogue should be done in light of this dramatic setting. The erotic setting of the Charmides combined with the discussion of philosophical wonder in the Symposium and tyrannical erôs in the Republic gives guidance about how to think about the potential connection between Socratic self-knowledge and knowledge of the good and also shows why the characters of Charmides and Critias fail to come to such knowledge. Here we have the Platonic diagnosis of the tyrant, whose soul never wonders at anything beyond itself.

By: Alan Pichanick (Teaching Professor Villanova University)
Imprint: State University of New York Press
Country of Publication: United States [Currently unable to ship to USA: see Shipping Info]
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9798855803907
Series: SUNY series in Ancient Greek Philosophy
Pages: 334
Publication Date: 01 October 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Alan Pichanick is Teaching Professor in the Augustine and Culture Seminar Program at Villanova University.

Reviews for Plato's Politics of Passion: Erôs, Thumos, and Socratic Self-Knowledge in the Charmides, Republic, and Symposium

""Pichanick's book stands to make a significant contribution to the study of the Charmides and to Plato scholarship more generally by underscoring the way in which sôphrosunê is entangled with eros. His argument about this oft-forgotten dialogue helps us solve problems in the interpretation of more well-known works, in particular the Republic and Symposium.""— Michael Weinman, coauthor of The Parthenon and Liberal Education