What is it about?
The paper reexamines the alleged absence of the theory of Ideas in Plato’s Laws. It challenges the developmental assumption that Plato abandoned this doctrine in his later works, showing instead that the functional role and metaphysical significance of Ideas persist, though under different conceptual framework. The study further allows for a clearer understanding of the relation between ideas and things.
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Why is it important?
This analysis undermines the rigid developmental model of Plato’s thought and proposes a more continuous understanding of his metaphysics. It clarifies that the theory of Ideas, rather than being a fixed doctrinal core, serves as a dynamic structural principle adaptable to different contexts. This perspective not only refines our view of Laws but also redefines how we understand the philosophical unity of the Platonic corpus.
Perspectives
The paper opens a new interpretative path by emphasizing Plato’s terminological restraint as philosophically meaningful. It invites a reconsideration of how metaphysical structures can persist across conceptual transformations, and how Plato’s late works articulate a more integrated vision of ethics, politics, and metaphysics without reliance on explicit doctrinal vocabulary.
Jakub Jinek
Univerzita Karlova
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Ideas in Plato’s Laws: Are They Really Absent?, October 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004722170_014.
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