The series consists of a variety of monographs from the fields of Classical Philology and Ancient History. While maintaining a broad thematic and methodological scope, the editors are especially keen on studies showing a thorough and critical engagement with the relevant literary texts and primary sources.
'The literary form is the true contents of Plato's dialogues' - This thesis has heralded a new direction in Plato research over the last 25 years, particularly among Anglo-American scholars. This book discusses this modern thesis and its claim to mark a revolutionary turn from traditional interpretations of Plato, which since the Ancient Neo-Platonists have read Plato in a dogmatic fashion and neglected the form of his philosophy. Here, the interpretations by Proclus, the most significant Neo-Platonist since Plotinus, of the literary form of Plato's philosophy, are presented in detail for the first time as an alternative to modern approaches. Thus it can be shown that the charge is untenable that these are naïve and dogmatic and constrain the openness of Plato's philosophizing with their systematicity.
Gyburg Radke, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-Preisträgerin 2006, Philipps-Universität Marburg.
