The question of knowledge –  its scope, sources, and consequences – is central to the constitution of the Athenian polis, so much so that the theoretical controversies it raises cannot be fully apprehended without reference to their political dimension.

The search for truth – or the claim to have found it – is never confined to a subjective topos, not even in the sceptical or relativist realms of thought. Rather it has a collective component so pronounced that it  cannot be uncoupled from the moment of transmission. Even esoteric currents, with their practices of concealment and precise hierarchies, adhere to this commonplace that places knowledge transmission center stage. The book brings together reputed specialists in a bid to elucidate the critical role of knowledge transmission in democratic Athens.

This book is the combined result of the following projects conducted in the framework of the 2019 LOGOS Program of Research Grants in Classical Studies, organized jointly with the Spanish Society of Classical Studies:

• Uses of humor in Plato. Irony, humor and philosophy in the Platonic dialogues
• Study and comparative analysis of the principal Socratic sources: Plato, Aristophanes and Xenophon
• Places of knowledge in democratic Athens
• A study of emotions in democratic Athens: the dialogue between comedy and philosophy