Myth and Philosophy from the Presocratics to Plato
Myth and Philosophy from the Presocratics to Plato
This book explores the complex relationship between myth and philosophy in writings by Greek intellectuals between the late-sixth and mid-fourth centuries BC. Although philosophy may seem far removed from mythological stories, closer examination reveals that Plato and others realized that philosophic accounts too were "stories" about reality. Kathryn Morgan shows how these philosophers used myth to express philosophic problems. Her book traces a tradition of strictly rational and philosophical myth through two centuries.
- Focuses on myth as a form of philosophic expression
- Diachronic study of an entire tradition of rigorous philosophical mythmaking
- All Greek in the main text is translated
Reviews & endorsements
"This is an important book that takes on the ambitious project of offering a new way to think about the myths incorporated into Greek philosophical writings." Phoenix
"Morgan's work is valuable for the study of both myth and philosophy, a work of which anyone with an interest in these discourses should take note." Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Product details
August 2000Hardback
9780521621809
324 pages
236 × 158 × 23 mm
0.57kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Theoretical issues
- 3. Some Presocratics
- 4. The sophists and their contemporaries
- 5. The Protagoras: Platonic myth in the making
- 6. The range of Platonic myth
- 7. Plato: myth and the soul
- 8. Plato: myth and theory
- 9. Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index of passages cited
- General index.
