Das Lächeln des Parmenides

'The literary form is the true contents of Plato's dialogues' - This thesis has heralded a new direction in Plato research over the last 25 years, particularly among Anglo-American scholars. This book discusses this modern thesis and its claim to mark a revolutionary turn from traditional interpretations of Plato, which since the Ancient Neo-Platonists have read Plato in a dogmatic fashion and neglected the form of his philosophy. Here, the interpretations by Proclus, the most significant Neo-Platonist since Plotinus, of the literary form of Plato's philosophy, are presented in detail for the first time as an alternative to modern approaches. Thus it can be shown that the charge is untenable that these are na ve and dogmatic and constrain the openness of Plato's philosophizing with their systematicity.