Why Plato Matters Now

Angie Hobbs (Author)

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Description

Professor Angie Hobbs proves in this persuasive and intelligent book that Plato is more relevant than ever.

Does Plato matter? An ancient philosopher whose work has inspired and informed countless thinkers and poets across the centuries, his ideas are no longer taught as widely as they once were. But, as Angie Hobbs argues in this clear-sighted book, that is a mistake.

If we want to understand the world we live in – from democracy, autocracy and fake news to celebrity, cancel culture and what money can and cannot do – there is no better place to start than Plato. Exploring the intersection between the ancient and the modern, Professor Hobbs shows how Plato can help us address key questions concerning the nature of a flourishing life and community, healthcare, love and friendship, heroism, reality, art and myth-making. She also shows us how Plato's adaptation of the Socratic method and dialogue form can enable us to deal with contested issues more constructively.

Plato's methodology, arguments, ideas and vivid images are explained with a clarity suitable both for readers familiar with his work and for those approaching Plato for the first time. This book shows why Plato really matters, now more than ever.

Chronology
Maps
Preface
Introduction: Plato's Life and the Socratic Inheritance

1. The Dialogue Form
2. Harmony and the Good Life
3. Democracy, Demagoguery and Tyranny
4. The Ideal City and its Decline
5. Heroism, Celebrity and Money
6. Love and Friendship
7. Art, Censorship and Myth

Epilogue
Notes
References
Further Reading
Acknowledgements
Index

Product details

Published	Oct 28 2025
Format	Hardback
Edition	1st
Extent	240
ISBN	9781399403375
Imprint	Bloomsbury Continuum
Dimensions	9 x 6 inches
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

Angie Hobbs

Angie Hobbs is emerita Professor of the Public Und…

'The definitive guide to Plato and his place in the modern world, written with all the passion, insight and clarity he deserves. Hobbs is truly the most dependable bridge between us and the history of Greek thought'

Daisy Dunn, author of The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World Through the Women Who Shaped It
Plato is for now - and for some forever. Professor Hobbs has been a fan since her late teens and conveys her - not uncritical - enthusiasm with unabashed and infectious joy. Her own philosophical readings are way more than just footnotes to the master's oh-so-sophisticated productions, and this is one of the very best general-coverage books on Plato to place in the hands of her nineteen-year-old avatars (and their seniors).

Paul Cartledge, author of Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece