This volume brings together Seth Benardete's studies of Hesiod's Theogony, Homer's Iliad, and Greek tragedy, of eleven Platonic dialogues, and Aristotle's Metaphysics. These essays, some never before published, others difficult to find, span four decades of his work and document its impressive range. Benardete's philosophic reading of the poets and his poetic reading of the philosophers share a common ground that makes this collection a whole. The key, suggested by his reflections on Leo Strauss in the last piece, lies in the question of how to read Plato. Benardete's way is characterized not just by careful attention to the literary form that separates doctrine from dialogue, and speeches from deed; rather, by following the dynamic of these differences, he uncovers the argument that belongs to the dialogue as a whole. The "turnaround" such an argument undergoes bears consequences for understanding the dialogue as radical as the conversion of the philosopher in Plato's image of the cave. Benardete's original interpretations are the fruits of this discovery of the "argument of the action."

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

Literature & Fiction

Benardete, Seth

Burger, Ronna

Davis, Michæl

History & Criticism

University of Chicago Press

Aristotle's Dialogue with Socrates: On the "Nicomachean Ethics"

What is the good life for a human being? Aristotle’s exploration of this question in the Nicomachean Ethics has established it as a founding work of Western philosophy, though its teachings have long puzzled readers and provoked spirited discussion. Adopting a radically new point of view, Ronna Burger deciphers some of the most perplexing conundrums of this influential treatise by approaching it as Aristotle’s dialogue with the Platonic Socrates.
Tracing the argument of the Ethics as it emerges through that approach, Burger’s careful reading shows how Aristotle represents ethical virtue from the perspective of those devoted to it while standing back to examine its assumptions and implications. 
“This is the best book I have read on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. It is so well crafted that reading it is like reading the Ethics itself, in that it provides an education in ethical matters that does justice to all sides of the issues.”—Mary P. Nichols, Baylor University

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

What is the good life for a human being? Aristotle’s exploration of this question in the Nicomachean Ethics has established it as a founding work of Western philosophy, though its teachings have long puzzled readers and provoked spirited discussion. Adopting a radically new point of view, Ronna Burger deciphers some of the most perplexing conundrums of this influential treatise by approaching it as Aristotle’s dialogue with the Platonic Socrates. Tracing the argument of the Ethics as it emerges through that approach, Burger’s careful reading shows how Aristotle represents ethical virtue from the perspective of those devoted to it while standing back to examine its assumptions and implications. “This is the best book I have read on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. It is so well crafted that reading it is like reading the Ethics itself, in that it provides an education in ethical matters that does justice to all sides of the issues.”—Mary P. Nichols, Baylor University

This volume brings together Seth Benardete's studies of Hesiod, Homer, and Greek tragedy, eleven Platonic dialogues, and Aristotle's Metaphysics. The Argument of the Action spans four decades of Seth Benardete's work, documenting its impressive range. Benardete's philosophic reading of the poets and his poetic reading of the philosophers share a common ground, guided by the key he found in the Platonic dialogue: probing the meaning of speeches embedded in deeds, he uncovers the unifying intention of the work by tracing the way it unfolds through a movement of its own. Benardete's original interpretations of the classics are the fruit of this discovery of the "argument of the action."

Since antiquity the Phaedo has been considered the source of "the twin pillars of Platonism" – the theory of ideas and the immortality of the soul. Burger’s attempt to trace the underlying argument of the work as a whole leads to a radical rethinking of the status of those doctrines.  The movement of that argument is marked by the structural division of the dialogue into two halves, linked and separated by a central interlude in which Socrates warns against the great danger of "misology," or loss of trust in logos. That danger, which threatens the very possibility of philosophic inquiry, comes to overshadow the threat posed by the fear of death, which motivated the original series of arguments. The turn this necessitates, from the first to the second half of the dialogue, brings about a transformation of the understanding of knowledge, the ideas, the soul, death, and immortality. With this "second sailing," as Socrates calls it, the "Platonism" presented in the Phaedo emerges as precisely the target of which the dialogue is a critique.

The Phaedo: A Platonic labyrinth

Yale University Press

What is the good life for a human being? Aristotle's exploration of this question in the Nicomachean Ethics has established it as a founding work of Western philosophy, though its teachings have long puzzled readers and provoked spirited discussion. Adopting a radically new point of view, Ronna Burger deciphers some of the most perplexing conundrums of this influential treatise by approaching it as Aristotle's dialogue with the Platonic Socrates. Tracing the argument of the Ethics as it emerges through that approach, Burger's careful reading shows how Aristotle represents ethical virtue from the perspective of those devoted to it while standing back to examine its assumptions and implications.

Aristotle's Dialogue with Socrates: On the ''Nicomachean Ethics''

ReadHowYouWant

Since antiquity the Phaedo has been considered the source of "the twin pillars of Platonism" - the theory of ideas and the immortality of the soul. Tracing the movement of the argument through the work as a whole, Burger is led to a radical rethinking of those doctrines. That movement is indicated by the structure of the dialogue, divided in two halves by a central interlude in which Socrates warns against the great danger of "misology," loss of trust in human reason.&nbsp; The discussion that follows, with that danger in mind, brings about a transformation in the understanding of knowledge, the ideas, the soul, death, and immortality. With this "second sailing," as Socrates calls it, the Platonism presented in the Phaedo emerges as precisely the target of which the dialogue is a critique. This revised edition includes a new Preface and a reprint of Burger's essay on Plato's Euthyphro, originally published in German and English. "This is a comprehensive study of the Phaedo, thoroughly researched, and sparkling with insights into the text." - Paul Woodruff, University of Texas "Burger has a wonderfully fertile mind and supports her imaginative thesis with a close reading, extremely sensitive to nuance." - Jerome Schiller, The Journal of the History of Philosophy 1986 "On Plato's Euthyphro" presents a more thoughtful and careful analysis of the dialogue than any previous full-length commentary. -- Lewis Fallis, Interpretation 2016

The Phaedo: A Platonic Labyrinth and On Plato’s Euthyphro: New Edition

St. Augustines Press

Phaedo A Platonic Labyrinth

On Plato's Euthyphro

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Burger, Ronna. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Burger, Ronna

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Burger, Ronna. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

Aristotle's Dialogue with Socrates: On the "Nicomachean Ethics"

Aristotle's Dialogue with Socrates: On the "Nicomachean Ethics"

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

The Phaedo: A Platonic labyrinth

Aristotle's Dialogue with Socrates: On the ''Nicomachean Ethics''

The Phaedo: A Platonic Labyrinth and On Plato’s Euthyphro: New Edition

Phaedo A Platonic Labyrinth

On Plato's Euthyphro