The Virtue and Politeia in the Funeral Speech of Socrates: The Philosophical Education in Plato's <i>Menexenus</i>

LI Xiangli

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LI Xiangli. The Virtue and Politeia in the Funeral Speech of Socrates: The Philosophical Education in Plato's Menexenus[J]. International Comparative Literature, 2018, 1(3): 400-409.

Citation:

LI Xiangli. The Virtue and Politeia in the Funeral Speech of Socrates: The Philosophical Education in Plato's Menexenus[J]. International Comparative Literature, 2018, 1(3): 400-409.

LI Xiangli. The Virtue and Politeia in the Funeral Speech of Socrates: The Philosophical Education in Plato's Menexenus[J]. International Comparative Literature, 2018, 1(3): 400-409.

Citation:

LI Xiangli. The Virtue and Politeia in the Funeral Speech of Socrates: The Philosophical Education in Plato's Menexenus[J]. International Comparative Literature, 2018, 1(3): 400-409.

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The Virtue and Politeia in the Funeral Speech of Socrates: The Philosophical Education in Plato's Menexenus

LI Xiangli

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Received Date: 2018-02-05
Rev Recd Date: 2018-05-04

Abstract

Abstract

It is usually thought that Menexenus, one of the Platonic dialogues, does not involve philosophical themes. By analyzing the paragraphs which include the myth of Athenian autochthony and the Athenian politeia in the Socrates' funeral speech in the dialogue, the author finds that there are a strong philosophical meaning and the implicit philosophical problem-what is the best politeia. In order to understand the relevant paragraphs and questions, this paper insists that it is necessary to pay attention to the dual context contained in the structure of the dialogue:on one hand, the surface rhetoric in Socrates' funeral speech is prepared for the public context; on the other hand, according to the drama plot in the dialogue itself, the private context set by the dialogue structure is for the philosophical education for Menexenus the future statesman of Athens.
- Socrates,
- Menexenus,
- virtue,
- politeia

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References(20)

References

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