Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"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
Synopsis
An exploration of the complex relationship between myth and philosophy in writings by Greek intellectuals.
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.