Plato, Politikos [The Statesman]

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To what extent may human interrelations be governed by art or skill? What is the nature of the expertise required in politics? Does political philosophy ever achieve the status of

knowledge

? Plato’s

Politikos

[

Statesman

], one of the most intriguing texts in the history of philosophy, develops the question of the possibility of scientific statesmanship by indicating the inherent limits of any rational account (

logos

).

The Eleatic dialogues Theaetetus, Sophist, and Statesman belong together, and the three conversations depicted in this trilogy are supposed to have taken place shortly before the trial of Socrates. The Eleatic dialogue Parmenides complements the trilogy with a dramatic representation of Socrates’ initiation as a young man into philosophy. The fact that Plato gives the

2329 words

Citation: Wood, Kelsey. "Politikos". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 April 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13440, accessed 19 March 2024.]

13440 Politikos 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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