Tag: Plato

Topics

Books

Plato’s Sophist 231b1–7

– "Plato's Sophist 231b1-7," Phronesis 5, no. 3 (1960): 129-139. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.

Eidos and Diaeresis in Plato’s Statesman

– "Eidos and Diaeresis in Plato's Statesman," Philologus 107, nos. 3-4 (1963): 193-226. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: When the Stranger summarizes the set of divisions which presents the statesmen as a ruler of two-footed swine, he omits the differentia, even though he had gone to some trouble to… More

Some Misquotations of Homer in Plato

– "Some Misquotations of Homer in Plato," Phronesis 8, no. 2 (1963): 173-78. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Plato often has Socrates and his other characters quote Homer. Their quotations for the most part exactly agree with our vulgate, but sometimes they differ. The most recent… More

XRH and DEI in Plato and Others

– “XRH and DEI in Plato and Others,” Glotta 43, nos. 3-4 (1965): 285-98. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.

On Plato’s Timaeus and Timaeus’ Science Fiction

– "On Plato's Timaeus and Timaeus' Science Fiction," Interpretation 2, No. 1 (Summer 1971): 21-63. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Socrates counts out loud. He makes himself out to be somewhat ridiculous. He does not say, “There are three of you; there should be four.” Nor does he say,… More

The Grammar of Being

– "The Grammar of Being," Review of Metaphysics 30, No. 3 (1977): 486-496. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Charles H. Kahn’s The Verb “Be” in Ancient Greek is the sixth part of a series edited by JWM Verhaar with the overall title, The Verb “Be”… More

Leo Strauss’s The City and Man

– "Leo Strauss's The City and Man," Political Science Reviewer 8 (1978): 1-20. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Leo Strauss’s The City and Man seems at first to be a straightforward continuation of all his previous work: the articulation of the theological-political problem. Event he… More

Physics and Tragedy: On Plato’s Cratylus

– "Physics and Tragedy: On Plato's Cratylus," Ancient Philosophy 1, no, 2 (1981): 140-172. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Cratylus seems to be a caricature of a Platonic dialogue. It gives us Socrates as seen in the distorting mirror of an alien inspiration. It begans as a farce and ends as a… More

The Being of the Beautiful: Plato’s Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman

– The Being of the Beautiful: Plato's Theaeteus, Sophist, and Statesman. Translation and commentary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984.
From the publisher: The Being of the Beautiful collects Plato’s three dialogues, the Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesmen, in which Socrates formulates his conception of philosophy… More

On Interpreting Plato’s Charmides

– "On Interpreting Plato's Charmides," New School Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal 11 (1986): 9-36. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Charmides is about sophrosyne, moderation and self-knowledge; but part of Socrates’ original question was about the state of philosophy in Athens; and since the… More

On the Being of The Being of the Beautiful

– Michael Davis, "On the Being of The Being of the Beautiful," Ancient Philosophy, Vol. 7 (1987): 191-200.
Seth Benardete’s The Being of the Beautiful combines a precise translation and a comprehensive analysis of the three Platonic dialogues: Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman. The… More

Review of Socrates’ Second Sailing: on Plato’s Republic

– Arlene Saxonhouse, Review of Socrates' Second Sailing: on Plato's Republic, Political Theory, Vol. 18, no. 4 (Nov. 1990): 690-705.
As with much of Benardete’s other work, this is not an easy book to read. To say that it is dense, boldly paradoxical, replete with hellenized English, and abjures the standard… More

The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy: Plato’s Gorgias and Phaedrus

– The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy: Plato's Gorgias and Phaedrus, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.
From the publisher: The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy, one of the most groundbreaking works of twentieth-century Platonic studies, is now back in print for a new generation of… More

The Plan of the Statesman

– "The Plan of the Statesman," Metis: Revue d'anthropologie du monde grec ancien 7, nos. 1-2 (1992): 25-47. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: It is not easy to follow the argument of the Statesman. Its difficulty seems to be due to the odd lengths of its sections, which are either too short or too long for the matter… More

The Tragedy and Comedy of Life: Plato’s Philebus

– The Tragedy and Comedy of Life: Plato's Philebus. Translation and commentary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993.
From the publisher: In The Tragedy and Comedy of Life, Seth Benardete focuses on the idea of the good in what is widely regarded as one of Plato’s most challenging and complex… More

On Plato’s Sophist

– "On Plato's Sophist," Review of Metaphysics 46, No. 4 (June 1993): 747-780. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Once the stranger takes over the discussion at the beginning of the Sophist, and agrees to discuss the sophist, the statesman, and the philosopher, it is hard to remember that… More

The Right, the True, and the Beautiful

– "The Right, the True, and the Beautiful," Glotta, 41 nos. 1-2 (1963): 54-62. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Were there a gap in our manuscript between two questions of Socrates, we should not now be able to say which stereotyped phrase was most suitable. Was Plato equally perplexed? Are… More

The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea

– "The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea." The Greeks and the Sea, 59-65, ed. Speros Vryonis. New York: Aristede Caratzas Publishers, 1993. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The sea has both a surface and a depth. It thus lends itself to be the paradigm for the human soul, which, as the Chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone says, when stirred brings to… More

On Plato’s Symposium

– "On Plato's Symposium," Munich: Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung, 1994. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “Some platonic dialogues are bound closely to the life and times of Socrates, and some are set at a particular time of day. The Phaedo and Symposium satisfy both criteria;… More

On Plato’s Lysis

– "On Plato's Lysis," ms. 1994. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: In the Lysis Plato has Socrates present himself at his sleaziest. He reports how he undertook to pimp for the silly Hippothales and succeeded first in smashing the false pride of… More

The Play of Truth

– "The Play of Truth." Review of R.B. Rutherford, The Art of Plato: Ten Essays in Platonic Interpretation. Boston Book Review, November 10, 1995. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: R.B. Rutherford wishes to restore to the understanding of Plato what Cicero already knew and practiced in his own dialogues. In a passage not cited by Rutherford, Cicero writes… More

Thirty-nine Reasons for Reading Benardete on the Republic by Will Morrisey

– Will Morrisey, "Thirty-nine Reasons for Reading Benardete on the Republic," Interpretation Vol. 23, no. 1, Fall 1995: 89-100.
Professor Benardete has been around long enough to have established a reputation. His writings are reputed to be hard to understand. This reputation has led to certain worries. “He is… More

Plato’s Theaetetus: On the Way of the Logos

– "Plato's Theaetetus: On the Way of the Logos," Review of Metaphysics, 51, no. 1 (September 1997): 25-53. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The opening of the Theaetetus is curious. The report we have of another opening of nearly the same length indicates that it was always a curiosity. If both openings are… More

Review of Seth Benardete, The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy

– Abraham Anderson, Review of Seth Benardete's The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy Vol. 17 (1997): 443-447.
Students of moral and political philosophy sometimes seem divided between those who seek truth through arguments without regarding their influence on human beings, and those who think that… More

Plato, True and False

– "Plato, True and False," Review of Plato: Complete Works, edited by John M. Cooper. The New Criterion, February 1998: 70-74. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “To have everything of Plato in one volume, regardless of whether or not it has been ascribed to him correctly, is a fortunate event: one can survey all at once the man… More

On the Timaeus

– "On the Timaeus." Lecture at The Hannah Arendt/Reiner Schurmann Memorial Symposium in Political Philosophy: "The Philosophy of Leo Strauss," New School for Social Research, 1999. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Thirty years ago, when I submitted a paper to Leo Strauss on Timaeus’s science fiction, he wrote back to say that Plato’s Timaeus for him has always been sealed with 7… More

Plato’s Laws: The Discovery of Being

– Plato's Laws: The Discovery of Being. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: The Laws was Plato’s last work, his longest, and one of his most difficult. In contrast to the Republic, which presents an abstract ideal not intended for any… More

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

– The Argument of the Action: Essays in Greek Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: This volume brings together Seth Benardete’s studies of Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Iliad, and Greek tragedy, of eleven Platonic dialogues, and… More

Plato’s Phaedo

– "Plato's Phaedo," ms. 1980. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: I wish to discuss four things in Plato’s Phaedo. First, the intention of the dialogue as a whole; second, the plan or structure of the Phaedo; third, some arguments of… More

Protagoras’ Myth and Logos

– "Protagoras' Myth and Logos," ms. 1988. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “In general, a speaker should not promise more than he can deliver, nor should he present conclusions as the setting for his argument, but in this case, where a part of a… More

Plato’s Laches: A Question of Definition

– Plato's Laches: A Question of Definition," ms. 1992. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Laches records the meeting between Socrates and the inglorious sons of Thucydides and Aristides, on the one hand, and on the other, the now-famous general Laches and Nicias.… More

Strauss on Plato

– "Strauss on Plato," University of Chicago lecture, 1993. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “What philosophy is seems to be inseparable from the question of how to read Plato. Almost no philosopher after Plato wrote at length about philosophy, and from antiquity at… More

Derrida and Plato

– "Derrida and Plato." Lecture delivered at NYU, in a series "Derrida and his Non-Contemporaries," October 19, 2000. In The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The French for nothing rien comes from the Latin for thing rem; Derrida suggests that in thought the reverse is true. This is one of the very large claims Derrida makes, but the… More

Plato’s Symposium

– Plato's Symposium. A translation by Seth Benardete with commentaries by Allan Bloom and Seth Benardete. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.
From the publisher: Plato, Allan Bloom wrote, is “the most erotic of philosophers,” and his Symposium is one of the greatest works on the nature of love ever written. This new… More

Review of The Argument of the Action

– Steven Berg, Review of The Argument of the Action, The Review of Metaphysics, Vol 55, no. 1 (2001): 119-21.
The Argument of the Action is a collection of essays by Seth Benardete on Greek poetry and philosophy selected and introduced by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. We must be grateful to the… More

Encounters and Reflections: Conversations with Seth Benardete

– Encounters and Reflections: Conversations with Seth Benardete. Edited by Ronna Burger. With Robert Burman, Ronna Burger, and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.
From the publisher: By turns wickedly funny and profoundly illuminating, Encounters and Reflections presents a captivating and unconventional portrait of the life and works of Seth… More

Shelf Life; A Classicist’s Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation

– Edward Rothstein, "Shelf Life: A Classicist's Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation" (Review of The Argument of the Action) The New York Times, Arts, February 16, 2002.
Confessions of ignorance are not usually in a critic’s best interest. But in this case, perhaps, an exception can be made. Ignorance, after all, is now common when confronting Greek… More

Aristotle’s “On Poetics”

– Aristotle - On Poetics. A translation by Seth Benardete and Michael Davis. South Bend, IN: St. Augustine's Press, 2002.
The original, Aristotle’s short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century B.C., is the world’s first critical book about the laws of literature. Although the work is… More

In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001)

– Ronna Burger, “In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001),” Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 56:4 (June 2003) 939-941.
Excerpt: Seth Benardete was born in Brooklyn, where he grew up with his older brother Jose. His father, Mair Jose, born in Istanbul, was a professor of Sephardic studies and Spanish at… More

At Homer’s Diner by Mark Blitz

– Mark Blitz, "At Homer's Diner" (Review of Encounters and Reflections) The Weekly Standard, Vol. 28, no. 29, April 7, 2003.
There’s a joke that goes: “‘Do you know where we’re supposed to go?’ I said, ‘No.’ So he said, ‘Well let’s go together.’ That’s… More

Review of Encounters and Reflections

– Vincent Renzi, Review of Encounters and Reflections, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Nov. 31, 2003.
As editor Ronna Burger notes in her preface (p. x), the present volume is “a project that falls outside the usual categories” of scholarship. While listing him as author, it is… More

The Thumotic and the Erotic Soul by Ronna Burger

– Ronna Burger, "The Thumotic and the Erotic Soul: Seth Benardete on Platonic Psychology," Interpretation, Vol. 32, no. 1 (2004): 57-76.
In the poem, “Ode to Aphrodite,” Sappho gives expression to her “raging heart,” suffering from the experience of unrequited love. Summoned by the poet, Aphrodite… More

Seth Benardete’s Second Sailing by Michael Davis

– Michael Davis, "Seth Benardete's Second Sailing: On the Spirit of Ideas" The Political Science Reviewer, vol. 34 (2005): 7-21.
In twelve books, six translations, and over fifty scholarly articles Seth Benardete wrote with unsurpassed breadth and depth on Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Sophocles,… More

Freedom, Grace and Necessity

– "Freedom, Grace and Necessity." Freedom and the Human Person, edited by Richard Velkley. Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2007. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Before the start of the Isthmian games at Corinth in 196 B.C., a Roman herald proclaimed that with the conquest of philop of Macedon all the cities of Greece and Asia Minor were to… More

The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy

– The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis, South Bend: St. Augustine's Press 2012.
From the publisher: The Archaeology of the Soul is a testimony to the extraordinary scope of Seth Benardete’s thought. Some essays concern particular authors or texts; others range more… More

Review of The Archaeology of the Soul

– Steven Berg, Review of The Archaeology of the Soul, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought, Vol. 30, no. 2 (2013): 340-343.

How Benardete Read the Last Stage of Socrates’ Philosophic Education

– Laurence Lampert, "How Benardete Read the Last Stage of Socrates' Philosophic Education," Political Philosophy Cross-Examined, ed. by Thomas Pangle and Harvey Lomax (Palgrave Macmillan 2013): 189-204.
Seth Benardete, like Leo Strauss, judged that the Symposium occupies the privileged place in the Platonic kosmos. A chief reason both give is that the Symposium is the third of three… More

Essays

Plato’s Sophist 231b1–7

– "Plato's Sophist 231b1-7," Phronesis 5, no. 3 (1960): 129-139. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.

Eidos and Diaeresis in Plato’s Statesman

– "Eidos and Diaeresis in Plato's Statesman," Philologus 107, nos. 3-4 (1963): 193-226. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: When the Stranger summarizes the set of divisions which presents the statesmen as a ruler of two-footed swine, he omits the differentia, even though he had gone to some trouble to… More

Some Misquotations of Homer in Plato

– "Some Misquotations of Homer in Plato," Phronesis 8, no. 2 (1963): 173-78. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Plato often has Socrates and his other characters quote Homer. Their quotations for the most part exactly agree with our vulgate, but sometimes they differ. The most recent… More

XRH and DEI in Plato and Others

– “XRH and DEI in Plato and Others,” Glotta 43, nos. 3-4 (1965): 285-98. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.

On Plato’s Timaeus and Timaeus’ Science Fiction

– "On Plato's Timaeus and Timaeus' Science Fiction," Interpretation 2, No. 1 (Summer 1971): 21-63. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Socrates counts out loud. He makes himself out to be somewhat ridiculous. He does not say, “There are three of you; there should be four.” Nor does he say,… More

The Grammar of Being

– "The Grammar of Being," Review of Metaphysics 30, No. 3 (1977): 486-496. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Charles H. Kahn’s The Verb “Be” in Ancient Greek is the sixth part of a series edited by JWM Verhaar with the overall title, The Verb “Be”… More

Leo Strauss’s The City and Man

– "Leo Strauss's The City and Man," Political Science Reviewer 8 (1978): 1-20. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Leo Strauss’s The City and Man seems at first to be a straightforward continuation of all his previous work: the articulation of the theological-political problem. Event he… More

Physics and Tragedy: On Plato’s Cratylus

– "Physics and Tragedy: On Plato's Cratylus," Ancient Philosophy 1, no, 2 (1981): 140-172. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Cratylus seems to be a caricature of a Platonic dialogue. It gives us Socrates as seen in the distorting mirror of an alien inspiration. It begans as a farce and ends as a… More

The Being of the Beautiful: Plato’s Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman

– The Being of the Beautiful: Plato's Theaeteus, Sophist, and Statesman. Translation and commentary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984.
From the publisher: The Being of the Beautiful collects Plato’s three dialogues, the Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesmen, in which Socrates formulates his conception of philosophy… More

On Interpreting Plato’s Charmides

– "On Interpreting Plato's Charmides," New School Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal 11 (1986): 9-36. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Charmides is about sophrosyne, moderation and self-knowledge; but part of Socrates’ original question was about the state of philosophy in Athens; and since the… More

On the Being of The Being of the Beautiful

– Michael Davis, "On the Being of The Being of the Beautiful," Ancient Philosophy, Vol. 7 (1987): 191-200.
Seth Benardete’s The Being of the Beautiful combines a precise translation and a comprehensive analysis of the three Platonic dialogues: Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman. The… More

Review of Socrates’ Second Sailing: on Plato’s Republic

– Arlene Saxonhouse, Review of Socrates' Second Sailing: on Plato's Republic, Political Theory, Vol. 18, no. 4 (Nov. 1990): 690-705.
As with much of Benardete’s other work, this is not an easy book to read. To say that it is dense, boldly paradoxical, replete with hellenized English, and abjures the standard… More

The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy: Plato’s Gorgias and Phaedrus

– The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy: Plato's Gorgias and Phaedrus, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.
From the publisher: The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy, one of the most groundbreaking works of twentieth-century Platonic studies, is now back in print for a new generation of… More

The Plan of the Statesman

– "The Plan of the Statesman," Metis: Revue d'anthropologie du monde grec ancien 7, nos. 1-2 (1992): 25-47. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: It is not easy to follow the argument of the Statesman. Its difficulty seems to be due to the odd lengths of its sections, which are either too short or too long for the matter… More

The Tragedy and Comedy of Life: Plato’s Philebus

– The Tragedy and Comedy of Life: Plato's Philebus. Translation and commentary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993.
From the publisher: In The Tragedy and Comedy of Life, Seth Benardete focuses on the idea of the good in what is widely regarded as one of Plato’s most challenging and complex… More

On Plato’s Sophist

– "On Plato's Sophist," Review of Metaphysics 46, No. 4 (June 1993): 747-780. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Once the stranger takes over the discussion at the beginning of the Sophist, and agrees to discuss the sophist, the statesman, and the philosopher, it is hard to remember that… More

The Right, the True, and the Beautiful

– "The Right, the True, and the Beautiful," Glotta, 41 nos. 1-2 (1963): 54-62. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Were there a gap in our manuscript between two questions of Socrates, we should not now be able to say which stereotyped phrase was most suitable. Was Plato equally perplexed? Are… More

The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea

– "The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea." The Greeks and the Sea, 59-65, ed. Speros Vryonis. New York: Aristede Caratzas Publishers, 1993. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The sea has both a surface and a depth. It thus lends itself to be the paradigm for the human soul, which, as the Chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone says, when stirred brings to… More

On Plato’s Symposium

– "On Plato's Symposium," Munich: Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung, 1994. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “Some platonic dialogues are bound closely to the life and times of Socrates, and some are set at a particular time of day. The Phaedo and Symposium satisfy both criteria;… More

On Plato’s Lysis

– "On Plato's Lysis," ms. 1994. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: In the Lysis Plato has Socrates present himself at his sleaziest. He reports how he undertook to pimp for the silly Hippothales and succeeded first in smashing the false pride of… More

The Play of Truth

– "The Play of Truth." Review of R.B. Rutherford, The Art of Plato: Ten Essays in Platonic Interpretation. Boston Book Review, November 10, 1995. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: R.B. Rutherford wishes to restore to the understanding of Plato what Cicero already knew and practiced in his own dialogues. In a passage not cited by Rutherford, Cicero writes… More

Thirty-nine Reasons for Reading Benardete on the Republic by Will Morrisey

– Will Morrisey, "Thirty-nine Reasons for Reading Benardete on the Republic," Interpretation Vol. 23, no. 1, Fall 1995: 89-100.
Professor Benardete has been around long enough to have established a reputation. His writings are reputed to be hard to understand. This reputation has led to certain worries. “He is… More

Plato’s Theaetetus: On the Way of the Logos

– "Plato's Theaetetus: On the Way of the Logos," Review of Metaphysics, 51, no. 1 (September 1997): 25-53. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The opening of the Theaetetus is curious. The report we have of another opening of nearly the same length indicates that it was always a curiosity. If both openings are… More

Review of Seth Benardete, The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy

– Abraham Anderson, Review of Seth Benardete's The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy Vol. 17 (1997): 443-447.
Students of moral and political philosophy sometimes seem divided between those who seek truth through arguments without regarding their influence on human beings, and those who think that… More

Plato, True and False

– "Plato, True and False," Review of Plato: Complete Works, edited by John M. Cooper. The New Criterion, February 1998: 70-74. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “To have everything of Plato in one volume, regardless of whether or not it has been ascribed to him correctly, is a fortunate event: one can survey all at once the man… More

On the Timaeus

– "On the Timaeus." Lecture at The Hannah Arendt/Reiner Schurmann Memorial Symposium in Political Philosophy: "The Philosophy of Leo Strauss," New School for Social Research, 1999. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Thirty years ago, when I submitted a paper to Leo Strauss on Timaeus’s science fiction, he wrote back to say that Plato’s Timaeus for him has always been sealed with 7… More

Plato’s Laws: The Discovery of Being

– Plato's Laws: The Discovery of Being. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: The Laws was Plato’s last work, his longest, and one of his most difficult. In contrast to the Republic, which presents an abstract ideal not intended for any… More

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

– The Argument of the Action: Essays in Greek Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: This volume brings together Seth Benardete’s studies of Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Iliad, and Greek tragedy, of eleven Platonic dialogues, and… More

Plato’s Phaedo

– "Plato's Phaedo," ms. 1980. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: I wish to discuss four things in Plato’s Phaedo. First, the intention of the dialogue as a whole; second, the plan or structure of the Phaedo; third, some arguments of… More

Protagoras’ Myth and Logos

– "Protagoras' Myth and Logos," ms. 1988. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “In general, a speaker should not promise more than he can deliver, nor should he present conclusions as the setting for his argument, but in this case, where a part of a… More

Plato’s Laches: A Question of Definition

– Plato's Laches: A Question of Definition," ms. 1992. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Laches records the meeting between Socrates and the inglorious sons of Thucydides and Aristides, on the one hand, and on the other, the now-famous general Laches and Nicias.… More

Strauss on Plato

– "Strauss on Plato," University of Chicago lecture, 1993. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “What philosophy is seems to be inseparable from the question of how to read Plato. Almost no philosopher after Plato wrote at length about philosophy, and from antiquity at… More

Derrida and Plato

– "Derrida and Plato." Lecture delivered at NYU, in a series "Derrida and his Non-Contemporaries," October 19, 2000. In The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The French for nothing rien comes from the Latin for thing rem; Derrida suggests that in thought the reverse is true. This is one of the very large claims Derrida makes, but the… More

Plato’s Symposium

– Plato's Symposium. A translation by Seth Benardete with commentaries by Allan Bloom and Seth Benardete. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.
From the publisher: Plato, Allan Bloom wrote, is “the most erotic of philosophers,” and his Symposium is one of the greatest works on the nature of love ever written. This new… More

Review of The Argument of the Action

– Steven Berg, Review of The Argument of the Action, The Review of Metaphysics, Vol 55, no. 1 (2001): 119-21.
The Argument of the Action is a collection of essays by Seth Benardete on Greek poetry and philosophy selected and introduced by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. We must be grateful to the… More

Encounters and Reflections: Conversations with Seth Benardete

– Encounters and Reflections: Conversations with Seth Benardete. Edited by Ronna Burger. With Robert Burman, Ronna Burger, and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.
From the publisher: By turns wickedly funny and profoundly illuminating, Encounters and Reflections presents a captivating and unconventional portrait of the life and works of Seth… More

Shelf Life; A Classicist’s Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation

– Edward Rothstein, "Shelf Life: A Classicist's Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation" (Review of The Argument of the Action) The New York Times, Arts, February 16, 2002.
Confessions of ignorance are not usually in a critic’s best interest. But in this case, perhaps, an exception can be made. Ignorance, after all, is now common when confronting Greek… More

Aristotle’s “On Poetics”

– Aristotle - On Poetics. A translation by Seth Benardete and Michael Davis. South Bend, IN: St. Augustine's Press, 2002.
The original, Aristotle’s short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century B.C., is the world’s first critical book about the laws of literature. Although the work is… More

In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001)

– Ronna Burger, “In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001),” Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 56:4 (June 2003) 939-941.
Excerpt: Seth Benardete was born in Brooklyn, where he grew up with his older brother Jose. His father, Mair Jose, born in Istanbul, was a professor of Sephardic studies and Spanish at… More

At Homer’s Diner by Mark Blitz

– Mark Blitz, "At Homer's Diner" (Review of Encounters and Reflections) The Weekly Standard, Vol. 28, no. 29, April 7, 2003.
There’s a joke that goes: “‘Do you know where we’re supposed to go?’ I said, ‘No.’ So he said, ‘Well let’s go together.’ That’s… More

Review of Encounters and Reflections

– Vincent Renzi, Review of Encounters and Reflections, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Nov. 31, 2003.
As editor Ronna Burger notes in her preface (p. x), the present volume is “a project that falls outside the usual categories” of scholarship. While listing him as author, it is… More

The Thumotic and the Erotic Soul by Ronna Burger

– Ronna Burger, "The Thumotic and the Erotic Soul: Seth Benardete on Platonic Psychology," Interpretation, Vol. 32, no. 1 (2004): 57-76.
In the poem, “Ode to Aphrodite,” Sappho gives expression to her “raging heart,” suffering from the experience of unrequited love. Summoned by the poet, Aphrodite… More

Seth Benardete’s Second Sailing by Michael Davis

– Michael Davis, "Seth Benardete's Second Sailing: On the Spirit of Ideas" The Political Science Reviewer, vol. 34 (2005): 7-21.
In twelve books, six translations, and over fifty scholarly articles Seth Benardete wrote with unsurpassed breadth and depth on Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Sophocles,… More

Freedom, Grace and Necessity

– "Freedom, Grace and Necessity." Freedom and the Human Person, edited by Richard Velkley. Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2007. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Before the start of the Isthmian games at Corinth in 196 B.C., a Roman herald proclaimed that with the conquest of philop of Macedon all the cities of Greece and Asia Minor were to… More

The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy

– The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis, South Bend: St. Augustine's Press 2012.
From the publisher: The Archaeology of the Soul is a testimony to the extraordinary scope of Seth Benardete’s thought. Some essays concern particular authors or texts; others range more… More

Review of The Archaeology of the Soul

– Steven Berg, Review of The Archaeology of the Soul, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought, Vol. 30, no. 2 (2013): 340-343.

How Benardete Read the Last Stage of Socrates’ Philosophic Education

– Laurence Lampert, "How Benardete Read the Last Stage of Socrates' Philosophic Education," Political Philosophy Cross-Examined, ed. by Thomas Pangle and Harvey Lomax (Palgrave Macmillan 2013): 189-204.
Seth Benardete, like Leo Strauss, judged that the Symposium occupies the privileged place in the Platonic kosmos. A chief reason both give is that the Symposium is the third of three… More

Commentary

Plato’s Sophist 231b1–7

– "Plato's Sophist 231b1-7," Phronesis 5, no. 3 (1960): 129-139. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.

Eidos and Diaeresis in Plato’s Statesman

– "Eidos and Diaeresis in Plato's Statesman," Philologus 107, nos. 3-4 (1963): 193-226. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: When the Stranger summarizes the set of divisions which presents the statesmen as a ruler of two-footed swine, he omits the differentia, even though he had gone to some trouble to… More

Some Misquotations of Homer in Plato

– "Some Misquotations of Homer in Plato," Phronesis 8, no. 2 (1963): 173-78. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Plato often has Socrates and his other characters quote Homer. Their quotations for the most part exactly agree with our vulgate, but sometimes they differ. The most recent… More

XRH and DEI in Plato and Others

– “XRH and DEI in Plato and Others,” Glotta 43, nos. 3-4 (1965): 285-98. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.

On Plato’s Timaeus and Timaeus’ Science Fiction

– "On Plato's Timaeus and Timaeus' Science Fiction," Interpretation 2, No. 1 (Summer 1971): 21-63. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Socrates counts out loud. He makes himself out to be somewhat ridiculous. He does not say, “There are three of you; there should be four.” Nor does he say,… More

The Grammar of Being

– "The Grammar of Being," Review of Metaphysics 30, No. 3 (1977): 486-496. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Charles H. Kahn’s The Verb “Be” in Ancient Greek is the sixth part of a series edited by JWM Verhaar with the overall title, The Verb “Be”… More

Leo Strauss’s The City and Man

– "Leo Strauss's The City and Man," Political Science Reviewer 8 (1978): 1-20. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Leo Strauss’s The City and Man seems at first to be a straightforward continuation of all his previous work: the articulation of the theological-political problem. Event he… More

Physics and Tragedy: On Plato’s Cratylus

– "Physics and Tragedy: On Plato's Cratylus," Ancient Philosophy 1, no, 2 (1981): 140-172. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Cratylus seems to be a caricature of a Platonic dialogue. It gives us Socrates as seen in the distorting mirror of an alien inspiration. It begans as a farce and ends as a… More

The Being of the Beautiful: Plato’s Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman

– The Being of the Beautiful: Plato's Theaeteus, Sophist, and Statesman. Translation and commentary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984.
From the publisher: The Being of the Beautiful collects Plato’s three dialogues, the Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesmen, in which Socrates formulates his conception of philosophy… More

On Interpreting Plato’s Charmides

– "On Interpreting Plato's Charmides," New School Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal 11 (1986): 9-36. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Charmides is about sophrosyne, moderation and self-knowledge; but part of Socrates’ original question was about the state of philosophy in Athens; and since the… More

On the Being of The Being of the Beautiful

– Michael Davis, "On the Being of The Being of the Beautiful," Ancient Philosophy, Vol. 7 (1987): 191-200.
Seth Benardete’s The Being of the Beautiful combines a precise translation and a comprehensive analysis of the three Platonic dialogues: Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman. The… More

Review of Socrates’ Second Sailing: on Plato’s Republic

– Arlene Saxonhouse, Review of Socrates' Second Sailing: on Plato's Republic, Political Theory, Vol. 18, no. 4 (Nov. 1990): 690-705.
As with much of Benardete’s other work, this is not an easy book to read. To say that it is dense, boldly paradoxical, replete with hellenized English, and abjures the standard… More

The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy: Plato’s Gorgias and Phaedrus

– The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy: Plato's Gorgias and Phaedrus, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.
From the publisher: The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy, one of the most groundbreaking works of twentieth-century Platonic studies, is now back in print for a new generation of… More

The Plan of the Statesman

– "The Plan of the Statesman," Metis: Revue d'anthropologie du monde grec ancien 7, nos. 1-2 (1992): 25-47. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: It is not easy to follow the argument of the Statesman. Its difficulty seems to be due to the odd lengths of its sections, which are either too short or too long for the matter… More

The Tragedy and Comedy of Life: Plato’s Philebus

– The Tragedy and Comedy of Life: Plato's Philebus. Translation and commentary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993.
From the publisher: In The Tragedy and Comedy of Life, Seth Benardete focuses on the idea of the good in what is widely regarded as one of Plato’s most challenging and complex… More

On Plato’s Sophist

– "On Plato's Sophist," Review of Metaphysics 46, No. 4 (June 1993): 747-780. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Once the stranger takes over the discussion at the beginning of the Sophist, and agrees to discuss the sophist, the statesman, and the philosopher, it is hard to remember that… More

The Right, the True, and the Beautiful

– "The Right, the True, and the Beautiful," Glotta, 41 nos. 1-2 (1963): 54-62. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Were there a gap in our manuscript between two questions of Socrates, we should not now be able to say which stereotyped phrase was most suitable. Was Plato equally perplexed? Are… More

The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea

– "The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea." The Greeks and the Sea, 59-65, ed. Speros Vryonis. New York: Aristede Caratzas Publishers, 1993. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The sea has both a surface and a depth. It thus lends itself to be the paradigm for the human soul, which, as the Chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone says, when stirred brings to… More

On Plato’s Symposium

– "On Plato's Symposium," Munich: Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung, 1994. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “Some platonic dialogues are bound closely to the life and times of Socrates, and some are set at a particular time of day. The Phaedo and Symposium satisfy both criteria;… More

On Plato’s Lysis

– "On Plato's Lysis," ms. 1994. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: In the Lysis Plato has Socrates present himself at his sleaziest. He reports how he undertook to pimp for the silly Hippothales and succeeded first in smashing the false pride of… More

The Play of Truth

– "The Play of Truth." Review of R.B. Rutherford, The Art of Plato: Ten Essays in Platonic Interpretation. Boston Book Review, November 10, 1995. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: R.B. Rutherford wishes to restore to the understanding of Plato what Cicero already knew and practiced in his own dialogues. In a passage not cited by Rutherford, Cicero writes… More

Thirty-nine Reasons for Reading Benardete on the Republic by Will Morrisey

– Will Morrisey, "Thirty-nine Reasons for Reading Benardete on the Republic," Interpretation Vol. 23, no. 1, Fall 1995: 89-100.
Professor Benardete has been around long enough to have established a reputation. His writings are reputed to be hard to understand. This reputation has led to certain worries. “He is… More

Plato’s Theaetetus: On the Way of the Logos

– "Plato's Theaetetus: On the Way of the Logos," Review of Metaphysics, 51, no. 1 (September 1997): 25-53. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The opening of the Theaetetus is curious. The report we have of another opening of nearly the same length indicates that it was always a curiosity. If both openings are… More

Review of Seth Benardete, The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy

– Abraham Anderson, Review of Seth Benardete's The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy Vol. 17 (1997): 443-447.
Students of moral and political philosophy sometimes seem divided between those who seek truth through arguments without regarding their influence on human beings, and those who think that… More

Plato, True and False

– "Plato, True and False," Review of Plato: Complete Works, edited by John M. Cooper. The New Criterion, February 1998: 70-74. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “To have everything of Plato in one volume, regardless of whether or not it has been ascribed to him correctly, is a fortunate event: one can survey all at once the man… More

On the Timaeus

– "On the Timaeus." Lecture at The Hannah Arendt/Reiner Schurmann Memorial Symposium in Political Philosophy: "The Philosophy of Leo Strauss," New School for Social Research, 1999. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Thirty years ago, when I submitted a paper to Leo Strauss on Timaeus’s science fiction, he wrote back to say that Plato’s Timaeus for him has always been sealed with 7… More

Plato’s Laws: The Discovery of Being

– Plato's Laws: The Discovery of Being. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: The Laws was Plato’s last work, his longest, and one of his most difficult. In contrast to the Republic, which presents an abstract ideal not intended for any… More

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

– The Argument of the Action: Essays in Greek Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: This volume brings together Seth Benardete’s studies of Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Iliad, and Greek tragedy, of eleven Platonic dialogues, and… More

Plato’s Phaedo

– "Plato's Phaedo," ms. 1980. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: I wish to discuss four things in Plato’s Phaedo. First, the intention of the dialogue as a whole; second, the plan or structure of the Phaedo; third, some arguments of… More

Protagoras’ Myth and Logos

– "Protagoras' Myth and Logos," ms. 1988. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “In general, a speaker should not promise more than he can deliver, nor should he present conclusions as the setting for his argument, but in this case, where a part of a… More

Plato’s Laches: A Question of Definition

– Plato's Laches: A Question of Definition," ms. 1992. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Laches records the meeting between Socrates and the inglorious sons of Thucydides and Aristides, on the one hand, and on the other, the now-famous general Laches and Nicias.… More

Strauss on Plato

– "Strauss on Plato," University of Chicago lecture, 1993. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “What philosophy is seems to be inseparable from the question of how to read Plato. Almost no philosopher after Plato wrote at length about philosophy, and from antiquity at… More

Derrida and Plato

– "Derrida and Plato." Lecture delivered at NYU, in a series "Derrida and his Non-Contemporaries," October 19, 2000. In The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The French for nothing rien comes from the Latin for thing rem; Derrida suggests that in thought the reverse is true. This is one of the very large claims Derrida makes, but the… More

Plato’s Symposium

– Plato's Symposium. A translation by Seth Benardete with commentaries by Allan Bloom and Seth Benardete. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.
From the publisher: Plato, Allan Bloom wrote, is “the most erotic of philosophers,” and his Symposium is one of the greatest works on the nature of love ever written. This new… More

Review of The Argument of the Action

– Steven Berg, Review of The Argument of the Action, The Review of Metaphysics, Vol 55, no. 1 (2001): 119-21.
The Argument of the Action is a collection of essays by Seth Benardete on Greek poetry and philosophy selected and introduced by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. We must be grateful to the… More

Encounters and Reflections: Conversations with Seth Benardete

– Encounters and Reflections: Conversations with Seth Benardete. Edited by Ronna Burger. With Robert Burman, Ronna Burger, and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.
From the publisher: By turns wickedly funny and profoundly illuminating, Encounters and Reflections presents a captivating and unconventional portrait of the life and works of Seth… More

Shelf Life; A Classicist’s Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation

– Edward Rothstein, "Shelf Life: A Classicist's Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation" (Review of The Argument of the Action) The New York Times, Arts, February 16, 2002.
Confessions of ignorance are not usually in a critic’s best interest. But in this case, perhaps, an exception can be made. Ignorance, after all, is now common when confronting Greek… More

Aristotle’s “On Poetics”

– Aristotle - On Poetics. A translation by Seth Benardete and Michael Davis. South Bend, IN: St. Augustine's Press, 2002.
The original, Aristotle’s short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century B.C., is the world’s first critical book about the laws of literature. Although the work is… More

In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001)

– Ronna Burger, “In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001),” Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 56:4 (June 2003) 939-941.
Excerpt: Seth Benardete was born in Brooklyn, where he grew up with his older brother Jose. His father, Mair Jose, born in Istanbul, was a professor of Sephardic studies and Spanish at… More

At Homer’s Diner by Mark Blitz

– Mark Blitz, "At Homer's Diner" (Review of Encounters and Reflections) The Weekly Standard, Vol. 28, no. 29, April 7, 2003.
There’s a joke that goes: “‘Do you know where we’re supposed to go?’ I said, ‘No.’ So he said, ‘Well let’s go together.’ That’s… More

Review of Encounters and Reflections

– Vincent Renzi, Review of Encounters and Reflections, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Nov. 31, 2003.
As editor Ronna Burger notes in her preface (p. x), the present volume is “a project that falls outside the usual categories” of scholarship. While listing him as author, it is… More

The Thumotic and the Erotic Soul by Ronna Burger

– Ronna Burger, "The Thumotic and the Erotic Soul: Seth Benardete on Platonic Psychology," Interpretation, Vol. 32, no. 1 (2004): 57-76.
In the poem, “Ode to Aphrodite,” Sappho gives expression to her “raging heart,” suffering from the experience of unrequited love. Summoned by the poet, Aphrodite… More

Seth Benardete’s Second Sailing by Michael Davis

– Michael Davis, "Seth Benardete's Second Sailing: On the Spirit of Ideas" The Political Science Reviewer, vol. 34 (2005): 7-21.
In twelve books, six translations, and over fifty scholarly articles Seth Benardete wrote with unsurpassed breadth and depth on Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Sophocles,… More

Freedom, Grace and Necessity

– "Freedom, Grace and Necessity." Freedom and the Human Person, edited by Richard Velkley. Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2007. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Before the start of the Isthmian games at Corinth in 196 B.C., a Roman herald proclaimed that with the conquest of philop of Macedon all the cities of Greece and Asia Minor were to… More

The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy

– The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis, South Bend: St. Augustine's Press 2012.
From the publisher: The Archaeology of the Soul is a testimony to the extraordinary scope of Seth Benardete’s thought. Some essays concern particular authors or texts; others range more… More

Review of The Archaeology of the Soul

– Steven Berg, Review of The Archaeology of the Soul, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought, Vol. 30, no. 2 (2013): 340-343.

How Benardete Read the Last Stage of Socrates’ Philosophic Education

– Laurence Lampert, "How Benardete Read the Last Stage of Socrates' Philosophic Education," Political Philosophy Cross-Examined, ed. by Thomas Pangle and Harvey Lomax (Palgrave Macmillan 2013): 189-204.
Seth Benardete, like Leo Strauss, judged that the Symposium occupies the privileged place in the Platonic kosmos. A chief reason both give is that the Symposium is the third of three… More

Multimedia

Plato’s Sophist 231b1–7

– "Plato's Sophist 231b1-7," Phronesis 5, no. 3 (1960): 129-139. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.

Eidos and Diaeresis in Plato’s Statesman

– "Eidos and Diaeresis in Plato's Statesman," Philologus 107, nos. 3-4 (1963): 193-226. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: When the Stranger summarizes the set of divisions which presents the statesmen as a ruler of two-footed swine, he omits the differentia, even though he had gone to some trouble to… More

Some Misquotations of Homer in Plato

– "Some Misquotations of Homer in Plato," Phronesis 8, no. 2 (1963): 173-78. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Plato often has Socrates and his other characters quote Homer. Their quotations for the most part exactly agree with our vulgate, but sometimes they differ. The most recent… More

XRH and DEI in Plato and Others

– “XRH and DEI in Plato and Others,” Glotta 43, nos. 3-4 (1965): 285-98. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.

On Plato’s Timaeus and Timaeus’ Science Fiction

– "On Plato's Timaeus and Timaeus' Science Fiction," Interpretation 2, No. 1 (Summer 1971): 21-63. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Socrates counts out loud. He makes himself out to be somewhat ridiculous. He does not say, “There are three of you; there should be four.” Nor does he say,… More

The Grammar of Being

– "The Grammar of Being," Review of Metaphysics 30, No. 3 (1977): 486-496. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Charles H. Kahn’s The Verb “Be” in Ancient Greek is the sixth part of a series edited by JWM Verhaar with the overall title, The Verb “Be”… More

Leo Strauss’s The City and Man

– "Leo Strauss's The City and Man," Political Science Reviewer 8 (1978): 1-20. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Leo Strauss’s The City and Man seems at first to be a straightforward continuation of all his previous work: the articulation of the theological-political problem. Event he… More

Physics and Tragedy: On Plato’s Cratylus

– "Physics and Tragedy: On Plato's Cratylus," Ancient Philosophy 1, no, 2 (1981): 140-172. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Cratylus seems to be a caricature of a Platonic dialogue. It gives us Socrates as seen in the distorting mirror of an alien inspiration. It begans as a farce and ends as a… More

The Being of the Beautiful: Plato’s Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman

– The Being of the Beautiful: Plato's Theaeteus, Sophist, and Statesman. Translation and commentary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984.
From the publisher: The Being of the Beautiful collects Plato’s three dialogues, the Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesmen, in which Socrates formulates his conception of philosophy… More

On Interpreting Plato’s Charmides

– "On Interpreting Plato's Charmides," New School Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal 11 (1986): 9-36. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Charmides is about sophrosyne, moderation and self-knowledge; but part of Socrates’ original question was about the state of philosophy in Athens; and since the… More

On the Being of The Being of the Beautiful

– Michael Davis, "On the Being of The Being of the Beautiful," Ancient Philosophy, Vol. 7 (1987): 191-200.
Seth Benardete’s The Being of the Beautiful combines a precise translation and a comprehensive analysis of the three Platonic dialogues: Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman. The… More

Review of Socrates’ Second Sailing: on Plato’s Republic

– Arlene Saxonhouse, Review of Socrates' Second Sailing: on Plato's Republic, Political Theory, Vol. 18, no. 4 (Nov. 1990): 690-705.
As with much of Benardete’s other work, this is not an easy book to read. To say that it is dense, boldly paradoxical, replete with hellenized English, and abjures the standard… More

The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy: Plato’s Gorgias and Phaedrus

– The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy: Plato's Gorgias and Phaedrus, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.
From the publisher: The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy, one of the most groundbreaking works of twentieth-century Platonic studies, is now back in print for a new generation of… More

The Plan of the Statesman

– "The Plan of the Statesman," Metis: Revue d'anthropologie du monde grec ancien 7, nos. 1-2 (1992): 25-47. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: It is not easy to follow the argument of the Statesman. Its difficulty seems to be due to the odd lengths of its sections, which are either too short or too long for the matter… More

The Tragedy and Comedy of Life: Plato’s Philebus

– The Tragedy and Comedy of Life: Plato's Philebus. Translation and commentary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993.
From the publisher: In The Tragedy and Comedy of Life, Seth Benardete focuses on the idea of the good in what is widely regarded as one of Plato’s most challenging and complex… More

On Plato’s Sophist

– "On Plato's Sophist," Review of Metaphysics 46, No. 4 (June 1993): 747-780. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Once the stranger takes over the discussion at the beginning of the Sophist, and agrees to discuss the sophist, the statesman, and the philosopher, it is hard to remember that… More

The Right, the True, and the Beautiful

– "The Right, the True, and the Beautiful," Glotta, 41 nos. 1-2 (1963): 54-62. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Were there a gap in our manuscript between two questions of Socrates, we should not now be able to say which stereotyped phrase was most suitable. Was Plato equally perplexed? Are… More

The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea

– "The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea." The Greeks and the Sea, 59-65, ed. Speros Vryonis. New York: Aristede Caratzas Publishers, 1993. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The sea has both a surface and a depth. It thus lends itself to be the paradigm for the human soul, which, as the Chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone says, when stirred brings to… More

On Plato’s Symposium

– "On Plato's Symposium," Munich: Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung, 1994. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “Some platonic dialogues are bound closely to the life and times of Socrates, and some are set at a particular time of day. The Phaedo and Symposium satisfy both criteria;… More

On Plato’s Lysis

– "On Plato's Lysis," ms. 1994. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: In the Lysis Plato has Socrates present himself at his sleaziest. He reports how he undertook to pimp for the silly Hippothales and succeeded first in smashing the false pride of… More

The Play of Truth

– "The Play of Truth." Review of R.B. Rutherford, The Art of Plato: Ten Essays in Platonic Interpretation. Boston Book Review, November 10, 1995. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: R.B. Rutherford wishes to restore to the understanding of Plato what Cicero already knew and practiced in his own dialogues. In a passage not cited by Rutherford, Cicero writes… More

Thirty-nine Reasons for Reading Benardete on the Republic by Will Morrisey

– Will Morrisey, "Thirty-nine Reasons for Reading Benardete on the Republic," Interpretation Vol. 23, no. 1, Fall 1995: 89-100.
Professor Benardete has been around long enough to have established a reputation. His writings are reputed to be hard to understand. This reputation has led to certain worries. “He is… More

Plato’s Theaetetus: On the Way of the Logos

– "Plato's Theaetetus: On the Way of the Logos," Review of Metaphysics, 51, no. 1 (September 1997): 25-53. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The opening of the Theaetetus is curious. The report we have of another opening of nearly the same length indicates that it was always a curiosity. If both openings are… More

Review of Seth Benardete, The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy

– Abraham Anderson, Review of Seth Benardete's The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy Vol. 17 (1997): 443-447.
Students of moral and political philosophy sometimes seem divided between those who seek truth through arguments without regarding their influence on human beings, and those who think that… More

Plato, True and False

– "Plato, True and False," Review of Plato: Complete Works, edited by John M. Cooper. The New Criterion, February 1998: 70-74. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “To have everything of Plato in one volume, regardless of whether or not it has been ascribed to him correctly, is a fortunate event: one can survey all at once the man… More

On the Timaeus

– "On the Timaeus." Lecture at The Hannah Arendt/Reiner Schurmann Memorial Symposium in Political Philosophy: "The Philosophy of Leo Strauss," New School for Social Research, 1999. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Thirty years ago, when I submitted a paper to Leo Strauss on Timaeus’s science fiction, he wrote back to say that Plato’s Timaeus for him has always been sealed with 7… More

Plato’s Laws: The Discovery of Being

– Plato's Laws: The Discovery of Being. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: The Laws was Plato’s last work, his longest, and one of his most difficult. In contrast to the Republic, which presents an abstract ideal not intended for any… More

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

– The Argument of the Action: Essays in Greek Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: This volume brings together Seth Benardete’s studies of Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Iliad, and Greek tragedy, of eleven Platonic dialogues, and… More

Plato’s Phaedo

– "Plato's Phaedo," ms. 1980. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: I wish to discuss four things in Plato’s Phaedo. First, the intention of the dialogue as a whole; second, the plan or structure of the Phaedo; third, some arguments of… More

Protagoras’ Myth and Logos

– "Protagoras' Myth and Logos," ms. 1988. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “In general, a speaker should not promise more than he can deliver, nor should he present conclusions as the setting for his argument, but in this case, where a part of a… More

Plato’s Laches: A Question of Definition

– Plato's Laches: A Question of Definition," ms. 1992. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Laches records the meeting between Socrates and the inglorious sons of Thucydides and Aristides, on the one hand, and on the other, the now-famous general Laches and Nicias.… More

Strauss on Plato

– "Strauss on Plato," University of Chicago lecture, 1993. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “What philosophy is seems to be inseparable from the question of how to read Plato. Almost no philosopher after Plato wrote at length about philosophy, and from antiquity at… More

Derrida and Plato

– "Derrida and Plato." Lecture delivered at NYU, in a series "Derrida and his Non-Contemporaries," October 19, 2000. In The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The French for nothing rien comes from the Latin for thing rem; Derrida suggests that in thought the reverse is true. This is one of the very large claims Derrida makes, but the… More

Plato’s Symposium

– Plato's Symposium. A translation by Seth Benardete with commentaries by Allan Bloom and Seth Benardete. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.
From the publisher: Plato, Allan Bloom wrote, is “the most erotic of philosophers,” and his Symposium is one of the greatest works on the nature of love ever written. This new… More

Review of The Argument of the Action

– Steven Berg, Review of The Argument of the Action, The Review of Metaphysics, Vol 55, no. 1 (2001): 119-21.
The Argument of the Action is a collection of essays by Seth Benardete on Greek poetry and philosophy selected and introduced by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. We must be grateful to the… More

Encounters and Reflections: Conversations with Seth Benardete

– Encounters and Reflections: Conversations with Seth Benardete. Edited by Ronna Burger. With Robert Burman, Ronna Burger, and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.
From the publisher: By turns wickedly funny and profoundly illuminating, Encounters and Reflections presents a captivating and unconventional portrait of the life and works of Seth… More

Shelf Life; A Classicist’s Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation

– Edward Rothstein, "Shelf Life: A Classicist's Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation" (Review of The Argument of the Action) The New York Times, Arts, February 16, 2002.
Confessions of ignorance are not usually in a critic’s best interest. But in this case, perhaps, an exception can be made. Ignorance, after all, is now common when confronting Greek… More

Aristotle’s “On Poetics”

– Aristotle - On Poetics. A translation by Seth Benardete and Michael Davis. South Bend, IN: St. Augustine's Press, 2002.
The original, Aristotle’s short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century B.C., is the world’s first critical book about the laws of literature. Although the work is… More

In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001)

– Ronna Burger, “In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001),” Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 56:4 (June 2003) 939-941.
Excerpt: Seth Benardete was born in Brooklyn, where he grew up with his older brother Jose. His father, Mair Jose, born in Istanbul, was a professor of Sephardic studies and Spanish at… More

At Homer’s Diner by Mark Blitz

– Mark Blitz, "At Homer's Diner" (Review of Encounters and Reflections) The Weekly Standard, Vol. 28, no. 29, April 7, 2003.
There’s a joke that goes: “‘Do you know where we’re supposed to go?’ I said, ‘No.’ So he said, ‘Well let’s go together.’ That’s… More

Review of Encounters and Reflections

– Vincent Renzi, Review of Encounters and Reflections, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Nov. 31, 2003.
As editor Ronna Burger notes in her preface (p. x), the present volume is “a project that falls outside the usual categories” of scholarship. While listing him as author, it is… More

The Thumotic and the Erotic Soul by Ronna Burger

– Ronna Burger, "The Thumotic and the Erotic Soul: Seth Benardete on Platonic Psychology," Interpretation, Vol. 32, no. 1 (2004): 57-76.
In the poem, “Ode to Aphrodite,” Sappho gives expression to her “raging heart,” suffering from the experience of unrequited love. Summoned by the poet, Aphrodite… More

Seth Benardete’s Second Sailing by Michael Davis

– Michael Davis, "Seth Benardete's Second Sailing: On the Spirit of Ideas" The Political Science Reviewer, vol. 34 (2005): 7-21.
In twelve books, six translations, and over fifty scholarly articles Seth Benardete wrote with unsurpassed breadth and depth on Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Sophocles,… More

Freedom, Grace and Necessity

– "Freedom, Grace and Necessity." Freedom and the Human Person, edited by Richard Velkley. Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2007. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Before the start of the Isthmian games at Corinth in 196 B.C., a Roman herald proclaimed that with the conquest of philop of Macedon all the cities of Greece and Asia Minor were to… More

The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy

– The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis, South Bend: St. Augustine's Press 2012.
From the publisher: The Archaeology of the Soul is a testimony to the extraordinary scope of Seth Benardete’s thought. Some essays concern particular authors or texts; others range more… More

Review of The Archaeology of the Soul

– Steven Berg, Review of The Archaeology of the Soul, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought, Vol. 30, no. 2 (2013): 340-343.

How Benardete Read the Last Stage of Socrates’ Philosophic Education

– Laurence Lampert, "How Benardete Read the Last Stage of Socrates' Philosophic Education," Political Philosophy Cross-Examined, ed. by Thomas Pangle and Harvey Lomax (Palgrave Macmillan 2013): 189-204.
Seth Benardete, like Leo Strauss, judged that the Symposium occupies the privileged place in the Platonic kosmos. A chief reason both give is that the Symposium is the third of three… More

Teaching

Plato’s Sophist 231b1–7

– "Plato's Sophist 231b1-7," Phronesis 5, no. 3 (1960): 129-139. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.

Eidos and Diaeresis in Plato’s Statesman

– "Eidos and Diaeresis in Plato's Statesman," Philologus 107, nos. 3-4 (1963): 193-226. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: When the Stranger summarizes the set of divisions which presents the statesmen as a ruler of two-footed swine, he omits the differentia, even though he had gone to some trouble to… More

Some Misquotations of Homer in Plato

– "Some Misquotations of Homer in Plato," Phronesis 8, no. 2 (1963): 173-78. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Plato often has Socrates and his other characters quote Homer. Their quotations for the most part exactly agree with our vulgate, but sometimes they differ. The most recent… More

XRH and DEI in Plato and Others

– “XRH and DEI in Plato and Others,” Glotta 43, nos. 3-4 (1965): 285-98. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.

On Plato’s Timaeus and Timaeus’ Science Fiction

– "On Plato's Timaeus and Timaeus' Science Fiction," Interpretation 2, No. 1 (Summer 1971): 21-63. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Socrates counts out loud. He makes himself out to be somewhat ridiculous. He does not say, “There are three of you; there should be four.” Nor does he say,… More

The Grammar of Being

– "The Grammar of Being," Review of Metaphysics 30, No. 3 (1977): 486-496. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “Charles H. Kahn’s The Verb “Be” in Ancient Greek is the sixth part of a series edited by JWM Verhaar with the overall title, The Verb “Be”… More

Leo Strauss’s The City and Man

– "Leo Strauss's The City and Man," Political Science Reviewer 8 (1978): 1-20. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Leo Strauss’s The City and Man seems at first to be a straightforward continuation of all his previous work: the articulation of the theological-political problem. Event he… More

Physics and Tragedy: On Plato’s Cratylus

– "Physics and Tragedy: On Plato's Cratylus," Ancient Philosophy 1, no, 2 (1981): 140-172. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Cratylus seems to be a caricature of a Platonic dialogue. It gives us Socrates as seen in the distorting mirror of an alien inspiration. It begans as a farce and ends as a… More

The Being of the Beautiful: Plato’s Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman

– The Being of the Beautiful: Plato's Theaeteus, Sophist, and Statesman. Translation and commentary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984.
From the publisher: The Being of the Beautiful collects Plato’s three dialogues, the Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesmen, in which Socrates formulates his conception of philosophy… More

On Interpreting Plato’s Charmides

– "On Interpreting Plato's Charmides," New School Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal 11 (1986): 9-36. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Charmides is about sophrosyne, moderation and self-knowledge; but part of Socrates’ original question was about the state of philosophy in Athens; and since the… More

On the Being of The Being of the Beautiful

– Michael Davis, "On the Being of The Being of the Beautiful," Ancient Philosophy, Vol. 7 (1987): 191-200.
Seth Benardete’s The Being of the Beautiful combines a precise translation and a comprehensive analysis of the three Platonic dialogues: Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman. The… More

Review of Socrates’ Second Sailing: on Plato’s Republic

– Arlene Saxonhouse, Review of Socrates' Second Sailing: on Plato's Republic, Political Theory, Vol. 18, no. 4 (Nov. 1990): 690-705.
As with much of Benardete’s other work, this is not an easy book to read. To say that it is dense, boldly paradoxical, replete with hellenized English, and abjures the standard… More

The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy: Plato’s Gorgias and Phaedrus

– The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy: Plato's Gorgias and Phaedrus, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.
From the publisher: The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy, one of the most groundbreaking works of twentieth-century Platonic studies, is now back in print for a new generation of… More

The Plan of the Statesman

– "The Plan of the Statesman," Metis: Revue d'anthropologie du monde grec ancien 7, nos. 1-2 (1992): 25-47. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: It is not easy to follow the argument of the Statesman. Its difficulty seems to be due to the odd lengths of its sections, which are either too short or too long for the matter… More

The Tragedy and Comedy of Life: Plato’s Philebus

– The Tragedy and Comedy of Life: Plato's Philebus. Translation and commentary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993.
From the publisher: In The Tragedy and Comedy of Life, Seth Benardete focuses on the idea of the good in what is widely regarded as one of Plato’s most challenging and complex… More

On Plato’s Sophist

– "On Plato's Sophist," Review of Metaphysics 46, No. 4 (June 1993): 747-780. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Once the stranger takes over the discussion at the beginning of the Sophist, and agrees to discuss the sophist, the statesman, and the philosopher, it is hard to remember that… More

The Right, the True, and the Beautiful

– "The Right, the True, and the Beautiful," Glotta, 41 nos. 1-2 (1963): 54-62. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Were there a gap in our manuscript between two questions of Socrates, we should not now be able to say which stereotyped phrase was most suitable. Was Plato equally perplexed? Are… More

The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea

– "The Poet-Merchant and the Stranger from the Sea." The Greeks and the Sea, 59-65, ed. Speros Vryonis. New York: Aristede Caratzas Publishers, 1993. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The sea has both a surface and a depth. It thus lends itself to be the paradigm for the human soul, which, as the Chorus of Sophocles’ Antigone says, when stirred brings to… More

On Plato’s Symposium

– "On Plato's Symposium," Munich: Carl Friedrich von Siemens Stiftung, 1994. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “Some platonic dialogues are bound closely to the life and times of Socrates, and some are set at a particular time of day. The Phaedo and Symposium satisfy both criteria;… More

On Plato’s Lysis

– "On Plato's Lysis," ms. 1994. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: In the Lysis Plato has Socrates present himself at his sleaziest. He reports how he undertook to pimp for the silly Hippothales and succeeded first in smashing the false pride of… More

The Play of Truth

– "The Play of Truth." Review of R.B. Rutherford, The Art of Plato: Ten Essays in Platonic Interpretation. Boston Book Review, November 10, 1995. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: R.B. Rutherford wishes to restore to the understanding of Plato what Cicero already knew and practiced in his own dialogues. In a passage not cited by Rutherford, Cicero writes… More

Thirty-nine Reasons for Reading Benardete on the Republic by Will Morrisey

– Will Morrisey, "Thirty-nine Reasons for Reading Benardete on the Republic," Interpretation Vol. 23, no. 1, Fall 1995: 89-100.
Professor Benardete has been around long enough to have established a reputation. His writings are reputed to be hard to understand. This reputation has led to certain worries. “He is… More

Plato’s Theaetetus: On the Way of the Logos

– "Plato's Theaetetus: On the Way of the Logos," Review of Metaphysics, 51, no. 1 (September 1997): 25-53. Reprinted in The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The opening of the Theaetetus is curious. The report we have of another opening of nearly the same length indicates that it was always a curiosity. If both openings are… More

Review of Seth Benardete, The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy

– Abraham Anderson, Review of Seth Benardete's The Rhetoric of Morality and Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy Vol. 17 (1997): 443-447.
Students of moral and political philosophy sometimes seem divided between those who seek truth through arguments without regarding their influence on human beings, and those who think that… More

Plato, True and False

– "Plato, True and False," Review of Plato: Complete Works, edited by John M. Cooper. The New Criterion, February 1998: 70-74. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: “To have everything of Plato in one volume, regardless of whether or not it has been ascribed to him correctly, is a fortunate event: one can survey all at once the man… More

On the Timaeus

– "On the Timaeus." Lecture at The Hannah Arendt/Reiner Schurmann Memorial Symposium in Political Philosophy: "The Philosophy of Leo Strauss," New School for Social Research, 1999. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: Thirty years ago, when I submitted a paper to Leo Strauss on Timaeus’s science fiction, he wrote back to say that Plato’s Timaeus for him has always been sealed with 7… More

Plato’s Laws: The Discovery of Being

– Plato's Laws: The Discovery of Being. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: The Laws was Plato’s last work, his longest, and one of his most difficult. In contrast to the Republic, which presents an abstract ideal not intended for any… More

The Argument of the Action: Essays on Greek Poetry and Philosophy

– The Argument of the Action: Essays in Greek Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
From the publisher: This volume brings together Seth Benardete’s studies of Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Iliad, and Greek tragedy, of eleven Platonic dialogues, and… More

Plato’s Phaedo

– "Plato's Phaedo," ms. 1980. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: I wish to discuss four things in Plato’s Phaedo. First, the intention of the dialogue as a whole; second, the plan or structure of the Phaedo; third, some arguments of… More

Protagoras’ Myth and Logos

– "Protagoras' Myth and Logos," ms. 1988. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “In general, a speaker should not promise more than he can deliver, nor should he present conclusions as the setting for his argument, but in this case, where a part of a… More

Plato’s Laches: A Question of Definition

– Plato's Laches: A Question of Definition," ms. 1992. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: The Laches records the meeting between Socrates and the inglorious sons of Thucydides and Aristides, on the one hand, and on the other, the now-famous general Laches and Nicias.… More

Strauss on Plato

– "Strauss on Plato," University of Chicago lecture, 1993. In The Argument of the Action, 2000.
Excerpt: “What philosophy is seems to be inseparable from the question of how to read Plato. Almost no philosopher after Plato wrote at length about philosophy, and from antiquity at… More

Derrida and Plato

– "Derrida and Plato." Lecture delivered at NYU, in a series "Derrida and his Non-Contemporaries," October 19, 2000. In The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: The French for nothing rien comes from the Latin for thing rem; Derrida suggests that in thought the reverse is true. This is one of the very large claims Derrida makes, but the… More

Plato’s Symposium

– Plato's Symposium. A translation by Seth Benardete with commentaries by Allan Bloom and Seth Benardete. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.
From the publisher: Plato, Allan Bloom wrote, is “the most erotic of philosophers,” and his Symposium is one of the greatest works on the nature of love ever written. This new… More

Review of The Argument of the Action

– Steven Berg, Review of The Argument of the Action, The Review of Metaphysics, Vol 55, no. 1 (2001): 119-21.
The Argument of the Action is a collection of essays by Seth Benardete on Greek poetry and philosophy selected and introduced by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis. We must be grateful to the… More

Encounters and Reflections: Conversations with Seth Benardete

– Encounters and Reflections: Conversations with Seth Benardete. Edited by Ronna Burger. With Robert Burman, Ronna Burger, and Michael Davis. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002.
From the publisher: By turns wickedly funny and profoundly illuminating, Encounters and Reflections presents a captivating and unconventional portrait of the life and works of Seth… More

Shelf Life; A Classicist’s Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation

– Edward Rothstein, "Shelf Life: A Classicist's Starting Point: Putting Aside Interpretation" (Review of The Argument of the Action) The New York Times, Arts, February 16, 2002.
Confessions of ignorance are not usually in a critic’s best interest. But in this case, perhaps, an exception can be made. Ignorance, after all, is now common when confronting Greek… More

Aristotle’s “On Poetics”

– Aristotle - On Poetics. A translation by Seth Benardete and Michael Davis. South Bend, IN: St. Augustine's Press, 2002.
The original, Aristotle’s short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century B.C., is the world’s first critical book about the laws of literature. Although the work is… More

In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001)

– Ronna Burger, “In Memoriam: Seth Benardete (1930-2001),” Review of Metaphysics, Vol. 56:4 (June 2003) 939-941.
Excerpt: Seth Benardete was born in Brooklyn, where he grew up with his older brother Jose. His father, Mair Jose, born in Istanbul, was a professor of Sephardic studies and Spanish at… More

At Homer’s Diner by Mark Blitz

– Mark Blitz, "At Homer's Diner" (Review of Encounters and Reflections) The Weekly Standard, Vol. 28, no. 29, April 7, 2003.
There’s a joke that goes: “‘Do you know where we’re supposed to go?’ I said, ‘No.’ So he said, ‘Well let’s go together.’ That’s… More

Review of Encounters and Reflections

– Vincent Renzi, Review of Encounters and Reflections, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, Nov. 31, 2003.
As editor Ronna Burger notes in her preface (p. x), the present volume is “a project that falls outside the usual categories” of scholarship. While listing him as author, it is… More

The Thumotic and the Erotic Soul by Ronna Burger

– Ronna Burger, "The Thumotic and the Erotic Soul: Seth Benardete on Platonic Psychology," Interpretation, Vol. 32, no. 1 (2004): 57-76.
In the poem, “Ode to Aphrodite,” Sappho gives expression to her “raging heart,” suffering from the experience of unrequited love. Summoned by the poet, Aphrodite… More

Seth Benardete’s Second Sailing by Michael Davis

– Michael Davis, "Seth Benardete's Second Sailing: On the Spirit of Ideas" The Political Science Reviewer, vol. 34 (2005): 7-21.
In twelve books, six translations, and over fifty scholarly articles Seth Benardete wrote with unsurpassed breadth and depth on Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Sophocles,… More

Freedom, Grace and Necessity

– "Freedom, Grace and Necessity." Freedom and the Human Person, edited by Richard Velkley. Studies in Philosophy and the History of Philosophy, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 2007. Reprinted in The Archaeology of the Soul, 2012.
Excerpt: Before the start of the Isthmian games at Corinth in 196 B.C., a Roman herald proclaimed that with the conquest of philop of Macedon all the cities of Greece and Asia Minor were to… More

The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy

– The Archaeology of the Soul: Platonic Readings of Ancient Poetry and Philosophy by Seth Benardete, edited by Ronna Burger and Michael Davis, South Bend: St. Augustine's Press 2012.
From the publisher: The Archaeology of the Soul is a testimony to the extraordinary scope of Seth Benardete’s thought. Some essays concern particular authors or texts; others range more… More

Review of The Archaeology of the Soul

– Steven Berg, Review of The Archaeology of the Soul, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought, Vol. 30, no. 2 (2013): 340-343.

How Benardete Read the Last Stage of Socrates’ Philosophic Education

– Laurence Lampert, "How Benardete Read the Last Stage of Socrates' Philosophic Education," Political Philosophy Cross-Examined, ed. by Thomas Pangle and Harvey Lomax (Palgrave Macmillan 2013): 189-204.
Seth Benardete, like Leo Strauss, judged that the Symposium occupies the privileged place in the Platonic kosmos. A chief reason both give is that the Symposium is the third of three… More