• How Socratic was Swift's Irony?

    Author(s):
    Chris A. Kramer (see profile)
    Date:
    2017
    Group(s):
    Film-Philosophy, Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Political Philosophy & Theory, Public Philosophy Journal
    Subject(s):
    Literature--Philosophy, Philosophy, Political science--Philosophy, Wit and humor, Education, Satire, Popular culture
    Item Type:
    Book chapter
    Tag(s):
    Humor, Jonathan Swift, Philosophy and literature, Political philosophy, Humor studies
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/7vzp-8t22
    Abstract:
    Was Swift correct that “reasoning will never make a man correct an ill opinion, which by reasoning he never acquired” (Letter to a Young Gentleman)? If so, what recourse is there to change attitudes especially among those who continue to fervently believe unjustified claims and act upon them in a way that affects other people? I will answer the first question with a qualified yes, and the second I will follow Swift’s implicit proposal to rely upon humor, satire, playful ridicule, and especially irony to unsettle the certainties of those who have not appealed to reason or epistemic justification to maintain their cherished opinions. In the bulk of the chapter, I will then assess what sort of irony Swift employs: is his irony primarily a trope in the service of a particular idea? Or is he truly Socratic in his irony, the sort Kierkegaard admired that transcends the mere rhetorical device and can be viewed as a stance on life in general? The answer to the latter question, in typical Aristotelian fashion, will be yes and no. My account of Socratic Irony will be informed primarily by the works of Alexander Nehemas, Jorge Portilla, and Jonathan Lear’s interpretation of Kierkegaard on Socrates’ irony.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Book chapter     Show details
    Publisher:
    Rowman and Littlefield
    Pub. Date:
    2017
    Book Title:
    Jonathan Swift and Philosophy
    Author/Editor:
    Edited by Janelle Poetzsh
    Page Range:
    13 - 26
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    2 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
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