The Dialectic Of Essence: A Study Of Plato's Metaphysics

"This is a very good book. It is provocative and controversial, but it advances our understanding of Plato's metaphysics. Silverman tells a complicated story well. The book is clear, and provides both overviews and summaries that help a reader work through the intricate arguments. One of its real strengths is in treating Plato as a working philosopher who has important and interesting things to say about metaphysics. The reader is deeply engaged as a philosophical comrade-in-arms working through tough problems along with Silverman, and Plato."--Patricia Curd, Purdue University

"The Dialectic of Essence" offers a systematic new account of Plato's metaphysics. Allan Silverman argues that the best way to make sense of the metaphysics as a whole is to examine carefully what Plato says about "ousia" (essence) from the "Meno" through the middle period dialogues, the "Phaedo" and the "Republic," and into several late dialogues including the "Parmenides," the "Sophist," the "Philebus," and the "Timaeus," This book focuses on three fundamental facets of the metaphysics: the theory of Forms; the nature of particulars; and Plato's understanding of the nature of metaphysical inquiry.

Silverman seeks to show how Plato conceives of "Being" as a unique way in which an essence is related to a Form. Conversely, partaking ("having") is the way in which a material particular is related to its properties: Particulars, thus, in an important sense lack essence. Additionally, the author closely analyzes Plato's idea that the relation between Forms and particulars is mediated by form-copies. Even when some late dialogues provide a richer account of particulars, Silverman maintains that particulars are still denied essence. Indeed, with the "Timaeus's" introduction of the receptacle, there are no particulars of the traditional variety. This book cogently demonstrates that when we understand that Plato's concern with essence lies at the root of his metaphysics, we are better equipped to find our way through the labyrinth of his dialogues and to better appreciate how they form a coherent theory.