Roslyn Weiss, “Philosophers in the Republic” (Cornell UP, 2012)
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Hello, everyone, and welcome to the New Books and Philosophy channel of the New Books Network. My name is Robert Talese. I am professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University, and I co-host the channel with Carrie Figdor. Today, I'll be talking with Roslyn Weiss about her new book, Philosophers in the Republic, Plato's Two Paradigms, which has just been published with Cornell University Press. Roslyn Weiss is Clara H. Stewardson Professor of Philosophy at Lehigh University. Contemporary philosophers still wrestle mightily with Plato's Republic. A common reading has it that in the Republic, Plato's character Socrates defends a conception of justice according to which reasons should rule the soul and philosophers should rule the city.
On most accounts, the Republic is centrally concerned with the question of what philosophers are and how they come to be. A standard reading contends that the multiple discussions in the Republic of the nature of the philosopher are all aimed to depict the very same kind of creature. In her new book, Rosalind Weiss challenges this view. She argues that the Republic depicts at least two distinct kinds of philosopher. She then employs this analysis in discussing several puzzles that emerge from the text concerning, for example, the absence of the virtue of piety in the Republic, and the curious similarities between Socrates' conception of justice in moderation. The result is a fascinating examination of the Republic that has much to offer both to Plato scholars and to more casual readers of Plato.
So let us turn to the interview. Hello, Rosalind Weiss.
Hello, Bob.
Thank you for joining us on New Books and Philosophy.
Thank you so much for having me.
Well, that's wonderful. Today on New Books and Philosophy, my guest is Rosalind Weiss. author of the new book, Philosophers in the Republic, Plato's Two Paradigms, published by Cornell University Press. This book is a deeply insightful examination of the conceptions of philosophy that are put on display in Plato's great dialogue, The Republic. Now, although the book is a cutting-edge contribution to Plato's scholarship, it's also accessible to those who, like me, and I suspect others, many others regularly read and even teach Plato, particularly Plato's Republic, but don't work in ancient philosophy in any professional way. That is, Rosalind's book is to be recommended to Plato experts and to amateurs alike.
I think the book, I think that both kinds of readers, rather, will find Philosophers in the Republic eye-opening in certain respects. and we'll talk about those respects in a minute. But before getting into those details, Rosalind, why don't you share something about yourself with our listeners?
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–10:27
2
What is the central argument of Roslyn Weiss’s book *Philosophers in the Republic*?
10:27–35:53
3
How does Roslyn Weiss describe her own philosophical background and what drew her to Plato?
35:53–53:55
4
What methodological assumptions does Weiss claim underlie her reading of Plato’s dialogues?
53:55–1:07:22
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from New Books in Philosophy
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