Homer and the Tradition of Political Philosophy

Peter J. Ahrensdorf is James B. Duke Professor of Political Science and Affiliated Professor of Classics at Davidson College. The author of five books, he has received fellowships from the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Foundation, the Fulbright Commission, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

'Ahrensdorf's study not only explores the extraordinary influence of Homer in the tradition of Western philosophy, but it also now illuminates the ways in which Homer challenges three of the most powerful minds in that tradition, and us, to examine the question of philosophy itself … Among Ahrensdorf's great virtues as a writer is his exceptional attentiveness to textual detail, capacity to draw out the human meaning of the texts, and ability to richly imagine the characters that people them. His work marries these qualities with a focus on the most fundamental human concerns, treating them with the gravity they demand and the levity they occasionally evoke. Scholars may quarrel with his arguments or conclusions, but none will doubt the perspicacity of his understanding of the most serious questions of human concern.' Susan Collins, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame

• 1. The contest between Homer and Plato and the Homeric education on the gods: from divine to human providence; 2. The Homeric education in human excellence: the suffering hero and the enigmatic singer; 3. Plato's critique of the Homeric education; 4. Machiavelli and Homer on education and human excellence; 5. Nietzsche on the contest between Homer and Plato; Conclusion.