Contents

Acknowledgments page ix

Introduction ³

1 The Contest between Homer and Plato and the Homeric

Education on the Gods: From Divine to Human Providence 10

The Importance of Homer in Plato 10

An Overview of Homer’s Challenging Education 16

Faith in “The Father of Gods and Men” 21

The Limits of Divine Power 31

The Power of Gods and the Mortality of Humans 41

The Immortal Nature of the Gods 45

The Limits of Divine Wisdom 47

The Limits of Divine Love 60

The Limits of Divine Providence 70

Achilles’ Education on the Limits of Divine Providence 78

2 The Homeric Education in Human Excellence: The Suffering

Hero and the Enigmatic Singer 83

From a Dutiful to a Questioning Hero 83

The Judgments of the Humane Skeptic 102

The Scientific Poet of Death 107

The Similes of the Lover of Wisdom 117

The Deliberately Enigmatic Thinker 124

3 Plato's Critique of the Homeric Education 132

The Proper Education for Philosophic Natures 132

Socrates' Critique of the Homeric Education 1:

The Gods 138

Socrates' Critique of the Homeric Education 2: Heroes

and Human Excellence 152

Socrates' Critique of the Homeric Education 3: Homer's Self-Presentation 172

The Platonic Education in Human Excellence 182

4 Homer and Machiavelli on Education and

Human Excellence 194

Machiavelli as Educator 194

Homer in the Prince 207

Homer's Portrayal of the Tragic Life of Virtue 210

Machiavelli's Portrayal of the Happy Life of Virtue 218

Machiavelli, Cicero, and Plutarch on the Lion and

the Fox 225

Machiavelli and Homer on the Lion and the Fox 230

Machiavelli on Philosophy and Imitation 240

5 Nietzsche on the Contest between Homer and Plato 247

The Importance of Homer in Nietzsche 247

Nietzsche's Ambiguous Account of Homer, Plato,

and Philosophy 253

Ancient Greece, Christianity, and Human Nature 258

Homer as the Founder of Greek Culture 263

Odysseus contra Achilles 270

Nietzsche's Project to Resurrect Homeric Greece? 278

Homeric Culture versus Human Nature? 283

Nietzsche and the Task of the Philosopher 289

Nietzsche's Sympathetic Critique of Plato 293

Conclusion 306

Bibliography 309

Index 320