Abstract:
The way in which Plato articulates his discourse about women in Book V of Republic gives rise to a contradiction. On the one hand, women are granted rights and released from male domination in 453a-457b but are again placed as male property in 457d-466c. This ambiguity has given rise to a profuse debate about whether Plato really subscribed to women's equality or whether he considers them to be the property of men. In the present paper, I suggest an interpretation of this ambiguity as a rhetorical effect that reveals the patriarchal character of the language that surrounds the very institution of the oîkos and goes beyond the question about the author's intentions.
Keywords:
Politeia; Oikos; Koinonia; Women