Book contents
- Plato, Technē, and Philosophy as a Profession
- Plato, Technē, and Philosophy as a Profession
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Note on the Text
- Introduction
- Part I Technē in General
- Part II Is Philosophy a Technē? Is Politics? Are They the Same Technē?
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- Index Locorum
Introduction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 July 2026
Book contents
- Plato, Technē, and Philosophy as a Profession
- Plato, Technē, and Philosophy as a Profession
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Note on the Text
- Introduction
- Part I Technē in General
- Part II Is Philosophy a Technē? Is Politics? Are They the Same Technē?
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- Index Locorum
Summary
The Introduction frames the central question of the book: Is philosophy a technē, and what would it mean if it were? The concept of technē – a rational, teachable, and practice-based form of expertise – is central to Plato’s philosophical vocabulary and deployed across discussions in ethics, epistemology, and political philosophy. The Introduction outlines the book’s structure and introduces key terms. Plato’s identification of philosophy as a technē entails a reevaluation of intellectual labor, aligning philosophers with cobblers and doctors rather than with poets and politicians. This reframing has implications for how we understand Plato’s critique of sophistry, his vision of philosopher-rulers, and the broader relationship between expertise and democratic politics.
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- Plato, Technē, and Philosophy as a Profession , pp. 1 - 14Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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