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Not Athenian or a Stranger: The Veiled Critique of Aristotle in Plato’s Laws
Philip Vogt
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DOI:10.17265/2159-5313/2023.12.002
Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, USA
Plato’s last dialogue, the Laws, occupies an anomalous position within his larger body of work. An individual identified as the “Athenian stranger” replaces Socrates and reverses key Socratic teachings, most notably by endorsing tyranny. Scholars conclude that Plato abandoned his earlier political recommendations in favor of a more pragmatic vision. In that case, the Laws should be treated as Plato’s definitive work, the ultimate statement of his thought, when in fact, much more attention is paid to earlier dialogues, particularly the Republic. The problem is resolved and the true significance of the Laws revealed when the text is read as Plato’s ironic critique of his brilliant-but-rebellious student, Aristotle. Reasoning from Aristotelian premises, the Athenian stranger arrives at conclusions that Platonists and Aristotelians alike would find unpalatable or absurd. The alleged rupture between Plato’s earlier and later work disappears. The esoteric writings that are thought to have been the product of Aristotle’s later career are shown to have emerged from ideas that Plato himself was familiar with and rejected.
Plato, Plato’s Laws, Platonic irony, Aristotle, Aristotle’s Politics, tyranny
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