Civic Identity and Piety in Platoʼs Laws
Articles
Vilius Bartninkas
Published 2016-03-31
https://doi.org/10.15388/Litera.2015.3.9873
PDF (Lithuanian)

Keywords

Platoʼs Laws
piety
civic identity
foundational narratives
comprehensive virtue

How to Cite

Bartninkas, V. (2016) “Civic Identity and Piety in Platoʼs Laws”, Literatūra, 57(3), pp. 0–0. doi:10.15388/Litera.2015.3.9873.

Abstract

This paper explores the meaning of religion and piety in Plato’s Laws. A discussion of contemporary scholarship shows that currently there is a trend to emphasize ethical innovations in Plato’s later thought without discussing its relation to religion. However, an analysis of the key foundational narratives of Magnesia reveals that religion has a substantial role in the dialogue. Plato rethinks the meaning of piety in his last dialogue. On the one hand, he criticizes the traditional Greek religiosity by providing a way to reconcile the performative and the rational devotion to gods. On the other hand, piety is incorporated in ethical theory as a key structural component. Thus, piety emerges as one of the most fundamental ideas in the political project of Magnesia.

PDF (Lithuanian)

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