A History of Greek Philosophy. Volume 4, Plato, the Man and His Dialogues: Earlier Period (review)

Book Reviews A History of GreekPhilosophy. Volume 4, Plato, the Man andHis Dialogues:EarlierPeriod. By. W. K. C. Guthrie. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975. Pp. xviii + 603. $34.50) This book is the fruit of sound scholarship and careful assessment of the relevant literature that has appeared since the turn of the century. Although designed as a continuation of Guthrie 's monumental undertaking to write a history of ancient philosophy, volume 4 stands on its own merits as a systematic exploration of the rich themes and problems that loom largely in the dialogues of the earlier period, from the Apology to, and including, the Republic. In the preface to volume 1, Professor Guthrie stated that he considered his work "far from being a pioneer study." Yet, his account of Plato succeeds not only in placing Plato's doctrines in the wider context of Greek thought, but also in providing a systematic account of the fundamental issues in the early dialogues. His choice for "an arrangement by dialogues rather than by subjects.., such as ethics, metaphysics, logic," which he properly identifies as being "modern divisions of philosophy" (p. xiii), is based on the conviction that Plato's thought is best understood as one of continuous growth and expansion, branching out, as it does, in directions controlled by explicit emphases on fundamental problems and the search for solutions . According to Guthrie, the dialogues show no disruption of the initially unified conception of life and the cosmos with which Plato started. Thus he has viewed his task as that of a critical retracing of an intellectual autobiography as Plato himself recorded it in the dialogues, in the hope that it will offer the reader as authentic an account as any scholar-philosopher can provide using the tools of historical knowledge, philological skills, and careful assessment of recent contributions. In his lucid introduction (pp. 1-7) Guthrie states certain guidelines for the treatment of each dialogue: (i) the need to remember that one cannot escape entirely "from his own situation in the history of his subject"; (ii) the recently attested discovery "of the intimate connection between literary form and philosophic content," in the early as well as the later dialogues; (iii) vigilance to keep the temptation to incorporate the so-called unwritten doctrines under strict control; (iv) awareness of one's own philosophical tenor and preferences for special doctrines or periods; (v) attention to the harm that rigid division between the historical and philosophical approaches to thinkers of the past can do when these two approaches become antagonistic. The book falls into two main parts. The first consists of three chapters dealing with Plato's life and philosophical influences, and basic problems related to the canon, chronology, and character of Plato's style and dramatic form. Part 2 contains four long chapters: chapter 4 treats the Early Socratic Dialogues, that is, Apology, Crito, Euthyphro, Laches, Lysis, Charmides , Hippias Major, Hippias Minor, Ion; chapter 5 discusses the Protagoras, Meno, Euthydemus, Gorgias and Menexenus; chapter 6 deals with the Phaedo, Symposium, and Phaedrus, while chapter 7 is devoted in its entirety to the Republic, followed by a conclusion, bibliography, and indexes. Some highlights in chapters 1-3 deserve special mention. Guthrie's remark that Plato founded a school "with a religious basis" draws attention to the way in which Plato must be understood not merely as a critic of popular religious beliefs but as a significant religious reformer. Thus, in Plato's view of the philosophic life, there is no dichotomy between the pursuit of wisdom and the attainment of piety. This theme is ultimately associated with what Guthrie sets forth as one of the cornerstones of Plato's thought: the belief in the immortality of the soul. Despite the difficulties in the absolute dating of the dialogues in certain cases, it [95] 96 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY can be shown that whereas Plato's attitude toward the study of nature changed, the need for this study did not. Yet, from beginning to end, the sensible world remained "ontologically secondary" and the object only of belief, not of knowledge. With respect to the purpose of education, Plato's connecting it with statemanship "never left his mind" (p...