The Laws of Plato / Edition 1

by Plato, Thomas L. Pangle

Overview

The Laws, Plato's longest dialogue, has for centuries been recognized as the most comprehensive exposition of the practical consequences of his philosophy, a necessary corrective to the more visionary and utopian Republic. In this animated encounter between a foreign philosopher and a powerful statesman, not only do we see reflected, in Plato's own thought, eternal questions of the relation between political theory and practice, but we also witness the working out of a detailed plan for a new political order that embodies the results of Plato's mature reflection on the family, the status of women, property rights, criminal law, and the role of religion and the fine arts in a healthy republic.

"Because it succeeds in being both literal and comprehensive, it is by far superior to any translation available. By reproducing dramatic detail often omitted, such as oaths, hesitations, repetitions, and forms of address, Pangle allows the reader to follow the dialogue's interplay between argument and dramatic context. . . . Pangle's translation captures the excitement and the drama of Plato's text."--Mary P. Nichols, Ancient Philosophy

"Pangle's achievement is remarkable. . . . The accompanying interpretive essay is an excellent distillation of a dialogue three times its size. The commentary is thoughtful, even profound; and it amply demonstrates the importance of reading Plato carefully and from a translation that is true to his language."--Patrick Coby, American Political Science Review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780226671109
Publisher:	University of Chicago Press
Publication date:	03/15/1988
Series:	History of Ideas in Ancient Greece Series
Edition description:	1
Pages:	576
Sales rank:	259,958
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

Plato (c. 427-347 BC) was an Athenian philosopher during the Classical period of Greece and a student of Socrates. Thirty-five dialogues and thirteen letters have traditionally been ascribed to Plato. He founded the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world.

Thomas L. Pangle is the Joe R. Long Chair in Democratic Studies and codirector of the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas at the University of Texas at Austin. His many books include, most recently, The Socratic Way of Life, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Table of Contents

Translator's Preface
THE LAWS
Book I
Book II
Book III
Book IV
Book V
Book VI
Book VII
Book VIII
Book IX
Book X
Book XI
Book XII
Interpretive Essay
Notes
Indexes