Type of Document Master's Thesis Author Issler, Daniel William Author's Email Address dan.issler@gmail.com URN etd-05112009-121410 Title The Role of Afterlife Myths in Plato's Moral Arguments Degree Master of Arts Department Philosophy Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Tim O'Keefe Committee Chair Andrew I. Cohen Committee Member Jessica Berry Committee Member Keywords
- Republic
- Phaedo
- Rhetoric
- Afterlife
- Myth
- Gorgias
- Socrates
- Plato
Date of Defense 2009-04-24 Availability unrestricted Abstract I will address the issue of Plato’s use of myths concerning the afterlife in the context of the ethical arguments of the Gorgias, Phaedo and Republic, and I will contend that while the arguments in each dialogue are aimed at convincing the rational part of the self, the myths are aimed at persuading the non-rational part of the self. In support of this interpretation, I will examine Plato’s views on the relation between the different parts of the soul and the relationship that poetry and myth have to philosophy. I will argue that Plato’s use of myth is a legitimate tactic in his project of moral education, given his views concerning the role that the non-rational parts of the self play in one’s moral life.Files
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