Plato's 'Laws': A Critical Guide (Cambridge Critical Guides) - Softcover

Bobonich, Christopher

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1107658683 ISBN 13: 9781107658684

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2013

Synopsis

Long understudied, Plato's Laws has been the object of renewed attention in the past decade and is now considered to be his major work of political philosophy besides the Republic. In his last dialogue, Plato returns to the project of describing the foundation of a just city and sketches in considerable detail its constitution, laws and other social institutions. Written by leading Platonists, the essays in this volume cover a wide range of topics central for understanding the Laws, such as the aim of the Laws as a whole, the ethical psychology of the Laws, especially its views of pleasure and non-rational motivations, and whether and, if so, how the strict law code of the Laws can encourage genuine virtue. They make an important contribution to ongoing debates and will open up fresh lines of inquiry for further research.

About this title

Review:

"...The quality and insight of the contributions are very high, and the range of addressed themes very broad...."
--Diego De Brasi, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"...a good paper on Plato’s moral psychology.... articulate and carefully reasoned work on the Timaeus is attributed to the Laws..."
--Philosophy in Review, John Mouracade, University of Alaska Anchorage

Book Description:

This volume provides essays on the Laws, Plato's last dialogue and major work of political philosophy besides the Republic. The essays cover a wide range of topics in the Laws, including political and ethical philosophy, psychology, theology and aesthetics. It will interest philosophers, classicists and political theorists.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1107658683
• ISBN 13: 9781107658684
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 254