Description
HUMOR AND PHILOSOPHY IN PLATO'S DIALOGUES
Book summary
This collective work challenges the traditional reading of Plato by exploring the fundamental role of humor in his dialogues. Twenty-six specialists analyze how irony, parodies, wordplay, and comic situations are not mere ornaments, but essential tools for conveying profound philosophical ideas. A revealing study that restores the dramatic and playful dimension to Platonic thought.
What is it about?
The book starts from the observation that the seriousness imposed by the Neoplatonic interpretation has overshadowed the dramatic and comic aspects of Plato's work. Facing this one-sided view, the work demonstrates that in the Platonic dialogues we find a vast repertoire of humorous resources: from the famous Socratic irony to jokes, wordplay, parodic imitations, witticisms, and situational comedy. Each chapter, written by a different specialist, addresses a specific aspect of this issue, showing how humor is not an accessory element, but an effective vehicle for the transmission of serious and complex content. The volume thus invites a more complete and nuanced rereading of the dialogues, recovering their literary richness and pedagogical intention.
Main themes
- Humor as a pedagogical and rhetorical tool in Platonic philosophy.
- Analysis of Socratic irony and its function in maieutics.
- Comic resources in the dialogues: parody, wordplay, mockery, and situational comedy.
- The relationship between the serious and the comic in Plato's thought.
- Critical review of the Neoplatonic interpretative tradition and its neglect of the dramatic dimension.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at students and professors of philosophy, classical philology, and literary theory, as well as any reader interested in Plato's work who wishes to delve deeper into its literary and rhetorical aspects. It will also be of great value to those researching humor in antiquity or the communication strategies of philosophical ideas.
What this book contributes
- A novel and rigorous perspective that questions the exclusively serious reading of Plato.
- A detailed and varied analysis of the different types of humor present in the dialogues.
- A more complete understanding of the Platonic work by integrating its dramatic and comic dimension.
- A tool to appreciate Plato's literary mastery in the service of philosophical transmission.
Technical specifications
- Author: LAVILLA DE LERA, J.; AGUIRRE SANTOS, J., .
- Publisher: ANTHROPOS
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: WESTERN PHILOSOPHY: ANCIENT, UP TO C. 500; PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY OF EDUCATION; LITERARY STUDIES: CLASSICAL, EARLY AND MEDIEVAL; LITERARY ESSAYS; ART HISTORY: ANCIENT AND CLASSICAL ART, B.C.E; PHILOSOPHY
- Collection: PHILOSOPHY
- Publication date: November 2021
- Number of pages: 352
- Weight: 870 g
Editorial review
This is a reference work for those seeking to move beyond the clichés about Platonic philosophy. The collective approach allows for addressing the question of humor from multiple angles, offering a rich and nuanced panorama. Its main value lies in reminding us that philosophy, even in its most classic formulations, can be an exercise in intelligence, irony, and, also, intellectual joy. An essential read to rediscover a more human, accessible, and, without a doubt, more amusing Plato.