Abstract

New insights emerge in rereading Plato’s Phaedrus using a material-epistemic methodology. From this perspective one discovers how the material conditions of Plato’s time, discursively composed, specifically outline constructed beliefs about the world. As a result, this analysis exposes how the setting and the myths shared play an active role in how the three speeches unfold, which reframes how one observes Plato’s version of rhetoric. Beyond the Phaedrus, this methodology opens up new questions to consider with both historic and contemporary texts—questions that address how our everyday signifying practices are influenced by historically situated material conditions.