Overview

In Plato's Socrates on Socrates: Socratic Self-Disclosure and the Public Practice of Philosophy, Anne-Marie Schultz analyzes the philosophical and political implications of Plato’s presentation of Socrates’ self-disclosive speech in four dialogues: Theaetetus, Symposium, Apology, and Phaedo. Schultz argues that these moments of Socratic self-disclosure show that Plato’s presentation of “Socrates the narrator” is much more pervasive than the secondary literature typically acknowledges. Despite the pervasive appearance of a Socrates who describes his own experience throughout the dialogues, Socratic autobiographical self-disclosure has received surprisingly little scholarly attention. Plato’s use of narrative, particularly his trope of “Socrates the narrator,” is often subsumed into discussions of the dramatic nature of the dialogues more generally rather than studied in its own right. Schultz shows how these carefully crafted narrative remarks add to the richness and profundity of the Platonic texts on multiple levels. To illustrate how these embedded Socratic narratives contribute to the portrait of Socrates as a public philosopher in Plato’s dialogues, the author also examines Socratic self-disclosive practices in the works of bell hooks, Kathy Khang, and Ta-Neishi Coates, and even practices the art of Socratic self-disclosure herself.

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9781498599665

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Reviews

Schultz (Baylor) has written a compelling portrait of Socratic philosophizing that is very much a true believer's account. Retelling her own way to philosophy, Schultz reflects on how Socrates's strategies of self-disclosure reveal important lessons for the public practice of philosophy. After four chapter-long inquiries into Socratic self-disclosure in the Theaetetus, Symposium, Apology, and Phaedo, Schultz draws out the full, emotional complexity of the enigmatic Plato, who was largely given to hiding nothing and debating nearly every life-choice he faced in public. She concludes her reading with a synoptic reflection about the life of civic engagement as a public philosopher today, endorsing the echoes of Socratic philosophizing that she finds in the writings of bell hooks, Khang, and Coates. Drawing on her own experiences as a public philosopher-blogging, travelling to India, and leading social justice reading groups-Schultz crystallizes the contemporary relevance of Plato's Socrates. The text is well researched and documented, and mostly free of jargon. The clarity of Schulz's arguments and her lucid prose open the book to a large audience. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. * Choice * This is a moving, revelatory book that makes a radical intervention in Plato studies. Schultz portrays a new Socrates, one who enables Plato's readers to rethink their own practices of freedom, of self-disclosure and self-discovery. Her argument has the potential to change our readings, our pedagogy, and our commitments to social justice. A brave and timely book. -- Page DuBois, University of California San Diego This book brings needed attention to Socrates' practice of self-disclosure by way of sharing personal narratives for the sake of encouraging others to pursue a philosophically reflective life. Schultz argues that Socrates' practice of self-disclosure should be a model for our own efforts to transform the public sphere through sustained philosophical reflection. Drawing parallels between Socrates and contemporary theorists such as bell hooks, Kathy Khang and Ta-Nehisi Coates, Schultz illustrates the transformative power of engaging others in others in dialogue. What emerges from her insightful reinterpretation of Plato's texts is a Socrates who can inspire transformative practices today. -- Robert Metcalf, University of Colorado Denver This bold and powerful book offers a compelling account of the role of narrative and autobiography within Plato's work. More importantly, it convincingly underscores the adamantine bond between the personal and the political, both for Plato and for us living today. Eloquent and sometimes moving, this book will enrichen the understanding of all who read it. -- S. Montgomery Ewegen, Trinity College Schultz's work is both a thoughtful exposition of Socratic narrative in the Platonic dialogues, and a deeply philosophical exploration of what it means to tell stories. We learn both the centrality of why Socrates tells stories, and why for public philosophy today, stories remain central. This book expands the relevance of Platonic philosophy as including not only our intellectual enterprises but also how narrative helps us better to live out our concrete, enacted lives. -- Marina McCoy, Boston College

Author Information

Anne-Marie Schultz is professor of philosophy at Baylor University.

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