[Revised entry by Charles L. Griswold on February 20, 2024.
Changes to: Bibliography, notes.html]
Plato’s discussions of rhetoric and poetry are both extensive and influential. As in so many other cases, he sets the agenda for the subsequent tradition. And yet understanding his remarks about each of these topics – rhetoric and poetry – presents us with significant philosophical and interpretive challenges. Further, it is not initially clear why he links the two topics together so closely (he suggests that poetry is a kind of rhetoric). Plato certainly thought that matters of the greatest importance hang in the balance,…
Originally appeared on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Read More
