Christopher J. Rowe – författare

The dating of the Phaedrus has been hotly debated: sometimes it has been counted among Plato's earliest works; sometimes with the dialogues of the 'middle' period (Phaedo, Symposium, Republic); sometimes with the late works (e.g. Sophist, Statesman). The safest and easiest hypothesis is that it stands somewhere between the latter two groups, in that it displays themes and preoccupations in common with both. Love, knowledge and the Forms, the nature and fate of the immortal soul: these are subjects familiar from the constructive middle dialogues; on the other hand, the discussion which frames Socrates' treatment of them, about the relationship between rhetoric and philosophy, about the value of writing, and about methodology, can in many respects plausibly be linked with the approach of the later and more critical dialogues. In modern times the Phaedrus has been relatively neglected; yet the rich mixture of its themes, and the consequent variations of style and tempo, make it one of the most rewarding parts of the Platonic corpus. This same variety is also the source of one of the major problems affecting our understanding of the work; is it a real unity? If so, what are the threads which hold the parts together? Greek text with facing-page translation, commentary and notes.

Until now no English translation existed of the Statesman (one of Plato's central works on politics, and on much else besides) which was both accurate and usable: nor was there a modern commentary which would help the reader through the argument, which was, in some parts, likely to be inaccessible without a guide. This new edition fills both gaps, being aimed especially, like other volumes in the Aris &Phillips series of texts, at students and other readers with little or no knowledge of the original language. This dialogue is of interest to philosophers and students of political theory as well as to classicists. Greek text with facing translation, notes and introduction.