The Philosophy of Plato: Plato's Laws

A study of Plato's last dialogue, Laws, with emphasis on understanding its philosophical doctrines and the ways they are developed and defended over the course of a long and complex literary composition. Topics addressed include the origin, goals, and proper formulation of law; virtue, education, and the ethical importance of art; freedom and the rule of law; and a detailed blueprint for the constitution and statutes of an ideal city. On many of these points readers familiar with the Republic may be surprised by what they find in the Laws.