Virtue and Knowledge in The Laws

Authors

  • Gérson Pereira Filho PUCMINAS – Campus Poços de Caldas, Poços de Caldas, Brasil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14195/1984-249X_12_10

Keywords:

Virtue, Knowledge, Platonic dialogues, The Laws

Abstract

The question that motivates the dialogue Pro-tagoras about whether or not to teach virtue, also permeates many other Platonic dialogues. Actually, virtue and knowledge are central themes to think about the anthropos, the polis, ethics, the being, and reason, in the context of the Platonic corpus. In The Laws, last work written by the founder of the Academy, the knowledge / virtue relation regains prominence in the process of redesigning a new project to save the man and the city of their disorders. The art / science of fair measure indicated in the Protagoras (357 b) will be the key for the viability of the legislative, ethical, and political project in The Laws. It will be through correct education of the senses and of reason that virtue responsible for conducting a free, friend-of-itself, and pondered city will be reached. (Laws, 701 d). On the other hand, education is the result of virtuous knowledge assimilated by customs, by learning, by rational discernment and by the control of passions, which will ensure the balance due upon the protection of the laws and institutions of the polis. This can be seen especially by reading books I, II, VI and VII of The Laws, although these issues are intertwined in the whole work.

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References

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Published

2025-11-29

How to Cite

Filho, G. P. (2025). Virtue and Knowledge in The Laws. Revista Archai, (12), 93. https://doi.org/10.14195/1984-249X_12_10

Issue

No. 12 (2014): No. 12 (2014): Revista Archai nº12 (January, 2014)

Section

Dossier

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Copyright (c) 2025 Gérson Pereira Filho

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