Plato's Laws: Force and Truth in Politics

by Gregory Recco (Editor), Eric Sanday (Editor), Robert D. Metcalf (Contribution by), Mark Munn (Contribution by), Mitchell Miller (Contribution by)

Overview

Readers of Plato have often neglected the Laws because of its length and density. In this set of interpretive essays, notable scholars of the Laws from the fields of classics, history, philosophy, and political science offer a collective close reading of the dialogue "book by book" and reflect on the work as a whole. In their introduction, editors Gregory Recco and Eric Sanday explore the connections among the essays and the dramatic and productive exchanges between the contributors. This volume fills a major gap in studies on Plato's dialogues by addressing the cultural and historical context of the Laws and highlighting their importance to contemporary scholarship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253001825
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	02/18/2013
Series:	Studies in Continental Thought
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Gregory Recco is a tutor at St. John's College in Annapolis.

Eric Sanday is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. On Reading the Laws as a Whole: Horizon, Vision, and Structure
Mitchell Miller
2. 'E and the Laws in Historical Context
Mark Munn
3. The Long and Winding Road: Impediments to Inquiry in Book One of the Laws
Eric Salem
4. Education in Plato's Laws
John Russon
5. On Beginning after the Beginning
John Sallis
6. It is Difficult for a City with Good Laws to Come into Existence: On Book 4
Michael Zuckert
7. "He Saw the Cities and He Knew the Minds of Many Men": Landscape and Character in the Odyssey and the Laws
Patricia Fagan
8. On the Human and the Divine: Reading the Prelude in Plato's Laws 5
Robert Metcalf
9. Being True to Equality: Human Allotment and the Judgment of Zeus
Greg Recco
10. The 'Serious Play' of Book 7 of Plato's Laws
David Roochnik
11. No Country for Young Men: Eros as Outlaw in Plato's Laws
Francisco Gonzalez
12. On the Implications of Human Mortality: Legislation, Education, and Philosophy in Book 9 of Plato's Laws
Catherine Zuckert
13. 'A Soul Superlatively Natural': Psychic Excess in Laws 10
Sara Brill
14. Property and Impiety in Plato's Laws: Books 11 & 12
Eric Sanday
Bibliography
List of Contributors
Index

What People are Saying About This

Trinity College - Drew A. Hyland

"An outstanding collection . . . that will inspire others . . . to begin to take the Laws as seriously as they should."

Boston College - Marina McCoy

"A diverse set of intelligent and original essays on the Laws featuring some of the best names in American scholarship."

Editorial Reviews

"An outstanding collection . . . that will inspire others . . . to begin to take the Laws as seriously as they should."—Drew A. Hyland, Trinity College

"A diverse set of intelligent and original essays on the Laws featuring some of the best names in American scholarship."—Marina McCoy, Boston College

"This volume fills a major gap in studies on Plato's dialogues by addressing the cultural and historical context of the Laws and highlighting their importance to contemporary scholarship."—PhilPapers

"The collection as a whole is characterized by a significant degree of cohesion . . . The contributors engage with one another's arguments, and there are frequent cross-references that help the reader follow the nuances of relevant scholarly debates.2/28/14"—Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

"[T]he collection [is] interesting and thought provoking. In particular, it draws attention to sections of the dialogue that are easily overlooked and usefully highlights the role of contingent factors in Plato's political thought."—International Journal of the Platonic Tradition

From the Publisher

The collection as a whole is characterized by a significant degree of cohesion . . . The contributors engage with one another's arguments, and there are frequent cross-references that help the reader follow the nuances of relevant scholarly debates.2/28/14

Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

[T]he collection [is] interesting and thought provoking. In particular, it draws attention to sections of the dialogue that are easily overlooked and usefully highlights the role of contingent factors in Plato's political thought.

International Journal of the Platonic Tradition

This volume fills a major gap in studies on Plato's dialogues by addressing the cultural and historical context of the Laws and highlighting their importance to contemporary scholarship.

PhilPapers

"A diverse set of intelligent and original essays on the Laws featuring some of the best names in American scholarship." —Marina McCoy, Boston College

Marina McCoy

"An outstanding collection... that will inspire others... to begin to take the Laws as seriously as they should." —Drew A. Hyland, Trinity College

Drew A. Hyland