Interpreting Plato Socratically

J. Angelo Corletts new book, Interpreting Plato Socratically continues the critical discussion of the Platonic Question where Corletts book, Interpreting Platos Dialogues concluded. New arguments in favor of the Mouthpiece Interpretation of Platos works are considered and shown to be fallacious, as are new objections to some competing approaches to Platos works. The Platonic Question is the problem of how to approach and interpret Platos writings most of which are dialogues. How, if at all, can Platos beliefs, doctrines, theories and such be extracted from dialogues where there is no direct indication from Plato that his own views are even to be found therein? Most philosophers of Plato attempt to decipher from Platos texts seemingly all manner of ideas expressed by Socrates which they then attribute to Plato. They seek to ascribe to Plato particular views about justice, art, love, virtue, knowledge, and the like because, they believe, Socrates is Platos mouthpiece through the dialogues. But is such an approach justified? What are the arguments in favor of such an approach? Is there a viable alternative approach to Platos dialogues? In this rigorous account of the dominant approach to Platos dialogues, there is no room left for reasonable doubt about the problematic reasons given for the notion that Platos dialogues reveal either Platos or Socrates beliefs, doctrines or theories about substantive philosophical matters. Corletts approach to Platos dialogues is applied to a variety of passages throughout Platos works on a wide range of topics concerning justice. In-depth discussions of themes such as legal obligation, punishment and compensatory justice are clarified and with some surprising results. Platos works serve as a rich source of philosophical thinking about such matters. A central question in todays Platonic studies is whether Socrates, or any other protagonist in the dialogues, presents viewsthat the author wanted to assert or defend. Professor Corlett offers a detailed defense of his view that the role of Socrates is to raise questions rather than to provide the authors answers to them. This defense is timely as intellectual historians consider the part played by Academic scholars centuries after Plato in systematizing Platonism. J. J. Mulhern, University of Pennsylvania