Plato's Mythoi: The Political Soul's Drama Beyond

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Recently, in the past thirty years, there has been an upsurge in serious treatment of Platonic mythoi, which were once thought to be only literary decoration and/or the simplistic presentation of philosophic conclusions for the demos (dummies in effect). Nevertheless, the dominant tendency in the exegesis of Platonic mythoi still is to subordinate them to philosophic logos (reason) and not to recognize that such mythoi are philosophic in themselves in the broad sense of the love of wisdom. There is something conversional about Platos philosophic mythos, reformulating and superseding traditional Greek mythos and then charting the drama of the human soul from Socratic aporia, up and out of the cave, and into the beyond, the Idea of the Good. The late Professor Eric Voegelin understood this existential drama, and his exegesis of Platonic mythos, from engendering pathos to symbols, is revelatory to say the least. My understanding is that logos (reason) is a fundamental and necessary check on mythos, but logos and mythos are complementary via medias; neither are dispensable nor reducible, one to the other. Also crucial to my study of Platonic mythoi is the analogy of being, that Voegelin only touches on, but Erich Przywara explores and develops. The relationship between the human and the divine is analogical (likenesses but also significant unlikenesses), and Plato certainly explored the play of opposites and affinities covering the difficult philosophical problems of becoming and being and the temporal and the eternal. Most philosophic commentators on Plato ignore the suffusive presence of the divine in Platos love of wisdom. Perhaps only Platonic mythos at its best offers the philosophic imagination the vision of transcendence.

Reviews

Don Roys Platos Mythoi illuminates the critical role that myth plays in Platos dialogues. By showing how myth arouses the soul and assists reason in the pursuit of truth, this book establishes the primary importance of myth in Socratic philosophy. By delving into the components that constitute myth and then systemically showing how they appear in Platos dialogues, Platos Mythoi provides a comprehensive view of myth that readers will find both rewarding and enlightening. For those interested in Plato, Platos Mythoi is a resource that readers will find immensely valuable and worth revisiting time again in the future. -- Lee Trepanier, Saginaw Valley State University
Donald Roy pursues his argument with great philological sensitivity as well as analytical rigor. In light of the conventional discussion of the relationship of logos and mythos, a discursive giving of accounts, or logos, is always superior to mere stories or myths. Roy raised the seldom-asked question: is logos a means to wisdom or an end If the former, then myth is not necessarily subordinate to logos. In other words, Roy undertakes a recovery and restoration of the centrality of myth in Platos work --or more specifically, of the philosophical myth. That is, myth is not just a means of communicating with the non-philosophical many who are incapable of following reasoned discussion or logos; it is also a way to communicate truths to which a reasoned discussion can only point. This is a salutary reminder of the often ignored depth and complexity of Platos philosophy and of philosophy simply. -- Barry Cooper, University of Calgary
At the heart of Roys timely and incisive study lies the tale of the recovery of the interdependent and mutually beneficial relationship of mythos to logos in Platos oeuvre. Roy argues persuasively against the logos fettering interpretations of Platos thought rendered by modern rationalistic and romantic readings of his work. Roys conscientious analysis of Platos Dialogs will delight neophytes and experts alike for he convincingly shows that for Plato, openness to participation in the fullness of Being is possible only where mythos and logos mutually form and inform one another in the philosophical search for wisdom. -- Dennis J. Marshall, Aquinas College
Donald Roy probes deeply the full range of Platos writings to show how he uses mythos and logos as complementary means to an end that transcends both. Resisting the modern tendency to reduce Platos thinking from dialogue and drama to doctrine, he shows how Plato draws on imaginative tales to connect rational philosophical inquiry with the meditative depths of human experience in our in-between existence and to reveal how our actions and desires form who we are. -- Eugene Webb, professor emeritus University of Washington
Donald Roy has written what may be the most in-depth analysis of the status and function of myth in Platos philosophy that we currently have. Platos Mythoi, is a comprehensive and erudite tour de force of Plato scholarship that persuasively argues for the inseparability of mythos and logos. With analytical rigor, it leaves no stone unturned in mining all the essential dialogues to illustrate the fruitful and irreducible tension between these two mediations of truth and wisdom. This work restores Platos myths to their rightful place at the core of Platonic philosophizing. Aimed at the Plato scholar, this book will nonetheless appeal to all lovers of Plato as well as to all lovers of myth. -- Michael Morrissey, Dominican University

Author Bio

Donald H. Roy is professor emeritus at Ferris State University