Plato: LawsPlato's Laws is one of the most important surviving works of ancient Greek political thought. It offers sustained reflection on the enterprise of legislation, and on its role in the social and religious regulation of society in all its aspects. Many of its ideas were drawn upon by later political thinkers, from Aristotle and Cicero to Thomas More and Montesquieu. This book presents the first translation of the complete text of the Laws for thirty-five years, in Tom Griffith's readable and reliable English. Malcolm Schofield, a leading scholar of Greek philosophy, introduces the main themes and characteristics of the work, as well as supplying authoritative notes on the structure and detail of Plato's argument, together with a guide to further reading. The book will be a key resource for those interested in Greek philosophy and of the history of political thought. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 20 | |
| 23 | |
A guide to further reading | 25 |
laws | 26 |
Book 1 | 33 |
Book 2 | 68 |
Book 3 | 100 |
Book 6 | 198 |
Book 7 | 243 |
Book 8 | 292 |
Book 9 | 324 |
Book 10 | 365 |
Book 11 | 402 |
Book 12 | 435 |
Appendix | 471 |
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Common terms and phrases
Absolutely allocation anger appropriate argument Aristotle athenian Athens Attic law behaviour better body Book bring certainly citizens cleinias comes correct courage course court Cretan Crete dance deal Demosthenes dialogue Dionysus discussion divine drachmas edited and translated example father fear follows foreigner give gods going Gorgias Greek guardians happen Herodotus Hesiod homicide hoplites human idea Iliad Isocrates judge justice kills kind of thing kithara lawgiver legislation let’s living look Lycurgus magistrates marriage matter means megillus music and poetry nature never officials opposite pain particular penalty people’s Persians person Plato pleasure poets political arrangements political system Political Writings edited possible preamble Protagoras punishment question reason Republic rule self-control slave Socrates someone soul Spartan talking temples there’s topic Tyrtaeus upbringing urban commissioners whereas whole wouldn’t Xenophon young Zeus