{"product_id":"laws","title":"Laws","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat should laws do when no perfect ruler exists to guide a city?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the island of Crete, three old men walk and talk about how people should live together. The Athenian Stranger, Cleinias and Megillus set out to design laws for a new city. In Plato’s Laws, questions of justice reach into daily life: education, farming, marriage, money, courts and the training of rulers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnlike Plato’s Republic, with its philosopher rulers, this dialogue asks how written rules can guide ordinary citizens. Socrates is absent. The Athenian Stranger leads the search for laws that build virtue, explain their purpose and balance authority with freedom. The stakes are practical: what holds a city together, and what kind of people does it teach its citizens to become?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat you'll discover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVirtue before victory\u003c\/strong\u003e – Explore why Plato asks laws to cultivate good character rather than prepare citizens only for war.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEducation beyond facts\u003c\/strong\u003e – Consider an education that shapes pleasure and pain, teaching children what to love and hate.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePersuasion beside command\u003c\/strong\u003e – Follow the argument that laws should explain their reasons, not simply demand obedience.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAuthority balanced with freedom\u003c\/strong\u003e – Examine why the Athenian Stranger sees a mixed constitution as the safest foundation for government.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePunishment meant to heal\u003c\/strong\u003e – Encounter an approach to crime that asks what punishment should repair, alongside ideas that trouble readers today.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerfect for readers of political thought, law and ancient philosophy who want to meet Plato in his practical, late mood.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpen the first page and join the walk with a simple question: what are laws for?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Library of Alexandria Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59534574518620,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1027\/9442\/8764\/files\/00875_en_ebook-front_c06.jpg?v=1792174909","url":"https:\/\/libraryofalexandria.com\/products\/laws","provider":"The Library of Alexandria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}