Myth and Philosophy in Plato`s Phaedrus

includes index and biblioraphy

The Question of Myth .......1 The Historical and Cultural Context of Platonic Myth .............3 The Varieties of Myth in the Dialogues ................7 The philosophical Questions surrounding myth ..........9 Methodological Considerations ..........13 2. Boreas, Typhon, and the Allegorization of Myth ..........19 The opening Scene .......19 The myth of Boreas and Orithuia .........23 Allegorical interpretation .......27 The importance of Self-Knowledge .........35 Saying Goodbye to Myth ...........38 3. The Palinode: Soul and Eros .........44 Context ..........45 The limits of Psychological Discourse .............54 The Nature of the Soul .............59 Intrapersonal Communication ............65 Myth as a Model ............73 Myth and Thumos .............68 Eros and Muthos ..........75 Eschatology ........77 4. The palinode : Forms and Knowledge .......88 The divine banquet .....88 Forms as the Objects of Knowledge ..........90 The Nature and Attainability of Knowledge .......91 Myth and the limits of Knowledge .........95 Myth and the limits of language .........98 The yogic View of Platonic Myth .............100 Myth and Recollection .........102 5. The palinode : Tradition and Philosophy .........108 The platonic Appropriation of Tradition .......108 The Construction of Philosophy .........118 Turning toward philosophy .........122 Myth for whom ...........127 6. The Cicadas .........133 Context ........134 The Danger of the Cicada song ..............138 The history of the Cicadas .......144 7. Rhetoric and Dialectic ........153 The Nature of Rhetoric ..............154 The True art of Rhetoric ............162 Dialectic .........171 8. Theuth, Thamus, and the Critique of writing ............181 Orality and the rise of Writing in Plato`s Athens ..........182 The critique of writing ..........193 The gardens of Adonis and Legitimate discourse ..........198 Writing and platonic Dialogue ..........209 The limits of Discourse and Discursive thought ...........215 Play and Seriousness .........218 A concluding prayer ............227 9. The phaedrus as a Whole ........236 The phaedrus and the Problem of Unity ..........236 Myth and Thematic Unity ........243 The strategic Approach to Unity .......254