Abstract
This paper argues that the Platonic First Alcibiades occupies an important
role with respect to Fürstenspiegel-literature. Its central speech, full
of praise for Persian and Spartan princes, links the dialogue in genre
and content to exhortative texts that offer idealising accounts of foreign
princes. The First Alcibiades responds to such accounts and characterises
them as a type of mirroring. At the same time, the dialogue
represents philosophical counsel as a superior form of mirroring and of
education for the would-be prince.
role with respect to Fürstenspiegel-literature. Its central speech, full
of praise for Persian and Spartan princes, links the dialogue in genre
and content to exhortative texts that offer idealising accounts of foreign
princes. The First Alcibiades responds to such accounts and characterises
them as a type of mirroring. At the same time, the dialogue
represents philosophical counsel as a superior form of mirroring and of
education for the would-be prince.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Concepts of Ideal Rulership from Antiquity to the Renaissance |
| Editors | Geert Roskam, Stefan Schorn |
| Publisher | Brepols Publishers |
| Pages | 31-59 |
| Number of pages | 29 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-2-503-58077-7 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-2-503-58078-4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan-2018 |
Keywords
- Plato
- Socrates
- Mirror of Princes
- Alcibiades I
- Self-knowledge
- Mirroring