A Series of Footnotes to \u3ci\u3ePlato\u27s Philosophers\u3c/i\u3e

In her magisterial Plato\u27s Philosophers, Catherine Zuckert presents a radically new interpretation of Plato\u27s dialogues. In doing so, she insists we must overcome reading them through the lens of Aristotle, whose influence has obscured the true nature of Plato\u27s philosophy. However, in her works dealing with Aristotle\u27s political science, Zuckert indicates several advantages of his approach to understanding politics. In this article, I explore the reasons why Zuckert finds Aristotle a problematic guide to Plato\u27s philosophy as well as what she sees as the character and benefits of Aristotle\u27s political theory. I conclude by suggesting a possible reconciliation between Zuckert\u27s Aristotle and her Plato, insofar as both the Socrates whom Plato made his hero and Aristotle agree that political communities will rarely direct citizens toward virtue by means of law and that we must instead look to informal means of doing so