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Course Description

The Laws is Plato's other great work of utopian political philosophy, far less famous than the Republic but a classic in its own right. Scholars generally consider it to be the last dialogue that Plato wrote. The Laws is different from the Republic in several notable respects. Socrates isn't among its characters. It's a work of political philosophy from beginning to end. The Laws portrays a long and probing conversation about an ideal political community, but - relative to the Republic - it envisions a political community that exists in more challenging circumstances, and offers a more detailed account of this community's laws, customs and institutions. The Laws is less interested in metaphysics (think: the Forms), epistemology (sense-perception, beliefs and knowledge) and the figure of the philosopher, but it contains extended treatments of ethics, education, psychology and theology, as well as the earliest detailed discussions of several major topics in political philosophy. The Laws is Plato's longest work, and we'll read about 35 Stephanus pages per meeting in order to finish it in 10 weeks. Course Syllabus

Course Outline

Course Syllabus

Notes

Online registration closes Tuesday, September 19 at 5 pm CT.

No class November 23 (Thanksgiving week)

Remote courses require you to login to Canvas to access the Zoom Classroom. You will receive an invitation to join Canvas about a week before your course begins.

Please visit the Liberal Arts Student Resources page to find step by step instructions for Canvas and Zoom: Online Learning Resources

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