{"product_id":"platos-cratylus-jason-kassel-9781968044787","title":"Plato's Cratylus: By Zeus! A Tragic-Comedy About the Possibility of a Common-Field of Truth","description":"\u003cp\u003ePart of \u003ci\u003ePoetic Philosophy Presents: Narrative Translations Designed for Accessibility\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat if the meaning of language were not just a technical question, but a civic test of whether truth can be shared at all?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this groundbreaking new translation of \u003ci\u003ePlato's Cratylus\u003c\/i\u003e, Jason Kassel brings forward the poetic, political, and philosophical drama embedded in Plato's exploration of naming, meaning, and truth. Going beyond conventional line-for-line approaches, this edition offers a \u003cb\u003eline-for-concept rendering\u003c\/b\u003e that preserves Plato's argument in its original sequence while restoring the metaphorical power that shaped his dialogues for an Athenian audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlato's \u003ci\u003eCratylus\u003c\/i\u003e asks: Can names be correct by nature? Or are they simply conventions - changeable, arbitrary, and subject to domination? The dialogue opens with Socrates, Cratylus, and Hermogenes standing together not as scholars, but as hoplites in a battlefield of speech - each bearing a \u003cb\u003espear of logos\u003c\/b\u003e, a \u003cb\u003eshield of reason\u003c\/b\u003e, and the hope of forming a \u003cb\u003ephalanx of understanding\u003c\/b\u003e. Across this richly layered conversation, Plato explores the mythic roots of words, the politics of naming after war, and the philosophical stakes of whether meaning can truly be shared.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis translation introduces a new conceptual anchor: the \u003cb\u003ecommon-field of truth\u003c\/b\u003e. More than a metaphor, it is Plato's answer to the crisis of language. For without a shared space of meaning, there can be no justice, no law, no love - and no reason to speak at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHighlights include: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eA complete rethinking of \u003ci\u003elogos\u003c\/i\u003e as a civic and ethical structure, not merely a word or reason.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eRestoration of Plato's dramatic metaphors: the ship, the battlefield, the dialectician-as-pilot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eLiteral retention of ritual oaths like \"By Zeus!\" to signal sacred speech and civic obligation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntegration of the Greek concept \u003cb\u003ekoinōnia\u003c\/b\u003e (communion) as the underlying logic of the dialogue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eA cross-disciplinary resonance with Kant's \u003cb\u003ecommunis sensus\u003c\/b\u003e - the shared sense that underlies aesthetic judgment, moral law, and public reason.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten for students, educators, and thoughtful readers outside of academic philosophy, this edition includes: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eA five-part \u003cb\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/b\u003e outlining the translation method and conceptual stakes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eA detailed \u003cb\u003eGlossary of Translation Choices\u003c\/b\u003e, explaining terms like \u003ci\u003eslave-name\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ephalanx of logos\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eshipwright of truth\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003elawgiver\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eA full, accessible rendering of the Greek text using poetic, dramatized English - without losing philosophical clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor those who care about language, truth, civic life, and the possibility of standing together under the eyes of the gods - this \u003ci\u003eCratylus\u003c\/i\u003e will resonate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is \u003ci\u003ePlato the dramatist\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003ePlato the lawgiver\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003ePlato the poet of truth's last stand\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jason Kassel,Plato\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1968044787\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781968044787\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Recursive Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/21\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 154\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.61lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.00h x 7.00w x 0.33d","brand":"Jason Kassel","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48443118452991,"sku":"9781968044787","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_fe108fe0-5ea6-4450-ac82-148c92da58e5.jpg?v=1777201962","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/platos-cratylus-jason-kassel-9781968044787","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}