ABSTRACTRhetoricians usually consider Plato's Republic as a work dedicated to political philosophy. As such, it is ostensibly antidemocratic and thus antirhetorical. But if we focus on the reason for the political allegory—the investigation of justice in the soul—it is clear that Plato is interested in Burke's question: “What is involved, when we say what people are doing and why they are doing it?” Accordingly, this article employs the terms of Burke's pentad in order to articulate the rhetorical significance of Plato's own drama of psychic motivation. Ultimately, I read the degenerating constitutions of the Republic as a rhetorical typography that not only identifies audience types and how to influence them, but also offers a map of psychic transformation that addresses Socrates's famous challenge to rhetoric in the Phaedrus.

Book Review| June 01 2018 The Rhetoric of Plato's Republic: Democracy and the Philosophical Problem of Persuasion The Rhetoric of Plato's Republic: Democracy and the Philosophical Problem of Persuasion. By James L. Kastely. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2015; pp. xvii + 260. $35.00 cloth. John J. Jasso John J. Jasso Pennsylvania State University Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2018) 21 (2): 383–386. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.21.2.0383 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation John J. Jasso; The Rhetoric of Plato's Republic: Democracy and the Philosophical Problem of Persuasion. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 June 2018; 21 (2): 383–386. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.21.2.0383 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2018 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2018 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.