The Woman Question in Plato's Republic
Although 20th century readers usually turn to the Republic to praise or blame Plato's Socrates for the limitations on women's inclusion in politics he seems to introduce, The Woman Question in Plato's Republic argues that the aim of Plato's Socrates is not limitation. Instead, close attention to the distinct lawgiving aims of Socrates, the Athenian Stranger, and Aristotle, allow us to see how Plato dramatizes the reluctance of men to allow women into the public sphere, and how Plato is willing nevertheless to risk his authorial posterity, several times over, by imagining what their political presence could look like. Ultimately, Plato offers a deeply aporetic vision of women’s nature and political position, but it is a vision full of concern for the human community, and for the desires of women themselves.
