What is it about?
What do we mean when we say that something has power? Plato's dialogues are probably the first philosophical corpus to address this question. Powers are causes; they account for how events happen. They are properties that agents have, as well as dispositions in those who suffer the effects of an action. This explanation is the basis of Plato's metaphysics and moral philosophy. He proposed that things are the power they have to act or be acted upon; this is their nature. This book brings together a group of specialists to guide the reader through this fascinating theory.
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Why is it important?
This book argues that, in Plato’s dialogues, dynamis is a metaphysical concept denoting power causation. The introduction presents this hypothesis in three parts. First, it explains what powers are as causes. Next, it describes the status quaestionis pointing out the conclusions of the major studies on the subject. Finally, it shows the structure of the book and how it argues for its hypothesis in contrast to the current scholarship.
Perspectives
Plato's powers brings together an excellent team of experts who explores different dialogues to show how powers are primary causes in Plato's metaphysics, physics, psychology and ethics.
Carolina Araujo
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Plato’s Power, February 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004722040.
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