Introduction to Aristotle's Attribution of Theses to Plato

At the beginning of his Metaphysics, Aristotle attributed several strange-sounding theses to Plato. Generations of Plato scholars have assumed that these could not be found in the dialogues. In heated arguments, they have debated the significance of these claims, some arguing that they constituted an unwritten teaching and others maintaining that Aristotle was mistaken in attributing them to Plato.

Kenneth M. Sayre's Study on Plato's Late Ontology

In a prior book-length study on Plato's late ontology, Kenneth M. Sayre demonstrated that, despite differences in terminology, these claims correspond to themes developed by Plato in the Parmenides and the Philebus. In this book, he shows how this correspondence can be extended to key, but previously obscure, passages in the Statesman.

Interpretative Consequences for the Statesman

He also examines the interpretative consequences for other sections of that dialogue, particularly those concerned with the practice of dialectical inquiry.