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Ouachita Baptist University

Law and Philosophy

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Philosophy And Law: An Interpretation Of Plato's 'Minos', Steven Thomason Jan 2015

Philosophy And Law: An Interpretation Of Plato's 'Minos', Steven Thomason

Articles

Plato's Minos presents a twofold argument. In part it is a facile defense of law directed at a typical Athenian citizen. On another level, it is a sophisticated teaching that ponders the question what is law for the would-be philosopher or student of Socrates. These arguments are made in three parts. First, it becomes clear that Socrates' interlocutor has been influenced or corrupted by the teachings of sophists. Second, Socrates attempts to reform the interlocutor's opinion of law by suggesting there is a science of law. Finally, Socrates argues that present day Greek laws are derived from the oldest Greek …


Law, Philosophy, And Civil Disobedience: The Laws' Speech In Plato's 'Crito', Steven Thomason Jan 2012

Law, Philosophy, And Civil Disobedience: The Laws' Speech In Plato's 'Crito', Steven Thomason

Articles

Plato's 'Crito' is an examination of the tension between political science, a life devoted to the rational discourse and the critique of politics, and the demands of allegiance and service to the city. The argument Socrates makes in the name of the laws is not just meant to persuade Crito. Rather, it is a philosophic defense of the city itself, the philosophic response to Socrates' own speech in the Apology defending philosophy. This speech reveals the dangers and problems of a life devoted to philosophy when reason is directed to politics and calls into question the values and way of …