Plato's "Laws" - by Seth Benardete (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

An insightful commentary on Plato's Laws, his complex final work.

The Laws was Plato's last work, his longest, and one of his most difficult. In contrast to the Republic, which presents an abstract ideal, the Laws appears to provide practical guidelines for the establishment and maintenance of political order in the real world. Classicist Seth Benardete offers a rich analysis of each of the twelve books of the Laws, which illuminates Plato's major themes and arguments concerning theology, the soul, justice, and education.

Most importantly, Benardete shows how music in a broad sense, including drama, epic poetry, and even puppetry, mediates between reason and the city in Plato's philosophy of law. Benardete also uncovers the work's concealed ontological dimension, explaining why it is hidden and how it can be brought to light. In establishing the coherence and underlying organization of Plato's last dialogue, Benardete makes a significant contribution to Platonic studies.

From the Back Cover

The Laws was Plato's last work, his longest, and one of his most difficult. In contrast to the Republic, which presents an abstract ideal not intended for any actual community, the Laws seems to provide practical guidelines for the establishment and maintenance of political order in the real world. With this book, the distinguished classicist Seth Benardete offers an insightful analysis and commentary on this rich and complex dialogue. Each of the chapters corresponds to one of the twelve books of the Laws, illuminating the major themes and arguments, which have to do with theology, the soul, justice, and education.

The Greek word for law, "nomos," also means musical tune. Bernardete shows how music--in the broadest sense, including drama, epic poetry, and even puppetry--mediates between reason and the city in Plato's philosophy of law. Most broadly, however, Benardete here uncovers the concealed ontological dimension of the Laws, explaining why it is concealed and how it comes to light. In establishing the coherence and underlying organization of Plato's last dialogue, Benardete makes a significant contribution to Platonic studies.

Review Quotes

Seth Benardete
Plato's Laws

"Plato's Laws is, in proportion to its size, the most neglected of his works. It is dauntingly massive and complex, but it must contain Plato's final views on a large range of issues, political social, ethical, metaphysical, and especially religious. Benardete brought to the task the skills of a classicist, a synoptic vision of Plato's goals and methodology, and a lifetime of writing challenging books on many of the other dialogues. Of the remarkably original ideas in his work, we may note at the start Benardete's attention to the word "nomoi," meaning both "laws" and "songs"; he shows that Plato plays with ambiguity, making music a pathway to the understanding of the legal structure of the state. Book ten of the Laws is often called 'Plato's Theology, ' and it deserves that title, but Benardete shows how all twelve books of the dialogue are permeated with Plato's theological understanding of being and the state."--Religious Studies Review-- "Religious Studies Review"

About the Author

Seth Benardete (1930-2001) was professor of classics at New York University and the author of many books, including The Argument of the Action and The Rhetoric and Morality of Philosophy, as well as the translator of Plato's Symposium and other works, all published by the University of Chicago Press.