An Introduction to Greek Ethics (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 465 political. Further, while the Italian seemed carefully (and the Greek meticulously) edited, her references to English language works frequently involved errors. This mention of Cavarero's references to writers in English brings me to a more basic issue. Not only does she frequently refer to such writers, but she almost always takes pains to point out that what they find interestingor problematical, particularly questions relating to logic or language, she regards as utterly alien to Plato. Thus Robinson is accused of unnecessarilycomplicating his analyses by using a logic extraneous to Plato (p. 23), while Crombie's investigation of language in Plato is said to be vitiated by extraneous presumptions from analytic philosophy (p. 53), and Vlastos's questions about Platonic "virtue" to be little more than exercises in linguistic logic which miss the essential point Plato was making (p. 79). The list could be lengthened to include her similar references to Wedberg, Cross, Taylor, Ross, Bluck and Hackforth. One sees all this as a theme running through the book, or at least through the footnotes. Once such a sweeping criticism had been undertaken, it should have been expanded to the point where it was made clear what the basis for the criticism is, and what its consequences are. One might have hoped for such an expansion, particularly in view of the fact that Cavarero herself sees the Forms as having a function in language and logic; she maintains that the Forms are essential to Plato's philosophy precisely because they are the grounds for meaningful discourse. Finally, Cavarero finds it unfortunate, too bad, a gaffe, that a political philosopher like Plato, completely dedicated to the betterment of society, should have introduced into his ideal republic such elements as slavery, eugenic control, and abandonment of the chronically ill. But we are never told why the introduction of these elements is unfortunate. Is it because she takes these to be incompatible with the betterment of society? Does it follow that Plato thought they were? Or are they unfortunate because their presence in the Republic may prove to be a grave embarassment for her proposed interpretation of Plato's work? EUGENEE. RYAN East Carolina University Christopher Rowe. An Introduction to Greek Ethics. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1977. Pp. 143. $10.00. This short book is written primarily for readers who have little or no previous knowledge of ancient Greek ethical philosophy and who do not necessarily know Greek (e.g., students of philosophy or classics, or the more general reader). The author begins with a brief discussion of moral attitudes expressed in the Homeric poems and by Solon and with a brief discussion of the sophists. A chapter is given to Socrates. The main part of the book is devoted to four Platonic dialogues--the Gorgias, Republic, Statesman, and Laws--and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. A very brief description of Epicurean and Stoic ethics concludes the work. The method Rowe uses to introduce his reader to Greek ethical thought is critical summary. In his main chapters he presents in condensed form the arguments of the texts with which he is dealing, offering a few criticisms and interpretative comments along the way. References to secondary literature are very sparse, for the work does not address a scholarly audience. Rowe's critical perspective seems to have been formed or greatly influenced by recent Anglo-American ethical thought. In general, there is nothing particularly novel or startling in the criticisms and interpretations advanced. The value of this work as an introduction to Greek ethics is questionable. If Rowe's purpose is to prepare the student or general reader for studying texts of Plato and Aristotle, why has he devoted such a large proportion of his book to summary of texts of Plato and Aristotle? Rowe's book would almost seem to serve as a substitute for, rather than an introduction to, the reading of the texts. Is not a student better advised to read Plato's allegory of the cave than to read a summary of Plato's allegory of the cave? What benefit would be derived from reading Rowe's summary of the allegory before reading the allegory itself?. A...