Abstract
Taking up the controversial issue of the value of the laws of non-ideal cities in Plato’s Statesman, the paper argues for a modified version of the traditional interpretation, as defended against Christopher Rowe’s influential criticism. The paper agrees with the traditional view that the established laws of non-ideal cities are assumed to be good laws and that the Eleatic Stranger’s justification for this assumption can be found in 300b. But it also argues that this defence of the traditional interpretation must be based on a revised understanding of the role of legislation in the Stranger’s conception of ideal rule. The unique contribution of the expert to good government consists in his distinctive ability to judge what is appropriate in each case, not in his work as legislator, which, on closer inspection, turns out to be based on the very same ancestral traditions that the second best city must resort to.
Annas, J./Waterfield, R. 1995. Plato. Statesman. Cambridge.Search in Google Scholar
Balot, R. K. 2006. Greek Political Thought. Malden, MA/Oxford.10.1002/9780470774618Search in Google Scholar
–. (ed.) 2009. A Companion to Greek and Roman Political Thought. Chicester, UK/Malden.10.1002/9781444310344Search in Google Scholar
Campbell, L. 1867. The Sophistes and Politicus of Plato. Oxford.Search in Google Scholar
Cooper, J. M. (ed.) 1997. Plato. Complete Works. Indianapolis/Cambridge.Search in Google Scholar
Duke, E. A. et al. 1995. Platonis Opera. Tomus I. Oxford Classical Texts edition. Oxford.Search in Google Scholar
Dusanic, S. 1995. “The True Statesman of the Statesman and the Young Tyrant of the Laws”. In Rowe 1995b, 337–46.Search in Google Scholar
El Murr, D. 2014. Savoir et gouverner. Essai sur la science politique platonicienne. Paris.Search in Google Scholar
Guthrie, W. K. C. 1978. A History of Greek Philosophy. Vol 5. Cambridge.10.1017/CBO9780511518430Search in Google Scholar
Hansen, M. H. 2011. “The Historical Model of Plato’s Statesman in the Politikos”. Polis 28/1, 126–31.10.1163/20512996-90000182Search in Google Scholar
Harter, H. 1963. “Die Treffkunst des Arztes in hippokratischer und platonischer Sicht”. Sudhoffs Archiv für Geschichte der Medizin und der Naturwissenschaft 47/3, 247–90.Search in Google Scholar
Havlíček, A./Jirsa, J./Thein, K. (eds.) 2013. Plato’s Statesman. Proceedings of the Eighth Symposium Platonicum Pragense. Prague.Search in Google Scholar
Hirsch, U. 1995. “Μιμεῖσθαι und verwandte Ausdrücke in Platons Politikos”. In Rowe (ed.) 1995b, 184–189.Search in Google Scholar
Hitz, Z. 2009. “Plato on the Sovereignty of Law”. In Balot 2009, 367–81.10.1002/9781444310344.ch24Search in Google Scholar
Jouanna, J. 1990. Hippocrate. L’Ancienne medicine. Budé edition. Paris 1990.Search in Google Scholar
Lane, M. 1998. Method and Politics in Plato’s Statesman. Cambridge 1998.10.1017/CBO9780511518492Search in Google Scholar
Michelini, A. N. 2000. “The Search for the King: Reflexive Irony in Plato’s Politicus”. Classical Antiquity 19, 180–204.10.2307/25011115Search in Google Scholar
Mynott, J. 2013. Thucydides. The War of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians. Cambridge10.1017/CBO9781139050371Search in Google Scholar
Ricken, F. 2008. Platon. Politikos. Göttingen.Search in Google Scholar
Rowe, C. J. 1995a. Plato. Statesman. Warminster.10.2307/j.ctv1228h63Search in Google Scholar
–. (ed.) 1995b. Reading the Statesman. Proceedings of the Third Symposium Platonicum. Sankt Augustin.Search in Google Scholar
–. 2000. “The Politicus and Other Dialogues”. In Rowe/Schofield (eds.) 2000, 233–256.10.1017/CHOL9780521481366.013Search in Google Scholar
–. 2001. “Killing Socrates: Plato’s Later Thoughts on Democracy”. Journal of Hellenic Studies 121, 63–76.10.2307/631828Search in Google Scholar
– 2003. “Socrates, the Laws, and the Laws”. In Scolnikov/Brisson (eds.) 2003, 87–97.Search in Google Scholar
–. 2005. “Le traitement des constitutions non idéales dans le Politique”. Les Études philosophiques 3, 385–400.10.3917/leph.053.0385Search in Google Scholar
–. 2013. “The Statesman and the Best City”. In Havlíček/Jirsa/Thein (eds.) 2013, 40–50.Search in Google Scholar
Rowe, C. J./Schofield, M. (eds.) 2000. The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Political Thought. Cambridge.10.1017/CHOL9780521481366Search in Google Scholar
Samaras, T. 2002. Plato and Democracy. New York.Search in Google Scholar
Schiefsky, M. J. 2005. Hippocrates. On Ancient Medicine. Leiden.10.1163/9789047405016_011Search in Google Scholar
Scolnikov, S./Brisson, L. (eds.) 2003. Plato’s Laws: From Theory into Practice. Sankt Augustin.Search in Google Scholar
Skemp, J. B. 1952. Plato. The Statesman. London.Search in Google Scholar
Sørensen, A. D. 2016. Plato on Democracy and Political technē. Leiden/Boston.10.1163/9789004326194Search in Google Scholar
© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
