Essentials of the "Wang Zhi"

Author: (German) Friedl?nder
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: The translation of the titles of Plato's works requires both uniformity and revision. In this edition, I have intentionally tried some translations that we believe are more appropriate—for example, "Laws" instead of "Laws," and "Republic" instead of "Statesman" or "The Republic." These translations are not without controversy; on the contrary, they are precisely designed to provoke controversy. To understand what Plato is saying, one must first start with how he says it. How one says something and what one says cannot be separated. Plato's works are mostly dramas, either demonstrative or narrative. Only by reconstructing Plato's works in his own way can one approach what he intended to say—in other words, only by understanding Plato in Plato's own way is it possible to comprehend Plato. The three essays compiled here all interpret the "Republic" by retelling Plato's "Republic," and the authors are all representative figures.