Spellman Lecture in the History of Philosophy

About this event

You are warmly invited to the upcoming Spellman Lecture in the History of Philosophy , featuring Dr. Rusty Jones from the University of Oklahoma.

A Socratic Account of Law and Justice:

Xenophon's Memorabilia 4.4

Thursday, November 12

4:00–6:00 p.m.

AFLS D115, Agriculture, Food, and Life Science Building

Abstract:

A Socratic Account of Law and Justice: Xenophon’s Memorabilia 4.4

Rusty Jones and Ravi Sharma

Memorabilia 4.4 treats Socrates’ views on law and justice, central themes not only in his philosophy but also in his relationship with Athens during the Peloponnesian War and its aftermath. The chapter has been thought to present two intractable problems – one centered on its internal coherence and one centered on its coherence with the surrounding chapters. Scholarly discussion has focused on whether Socrates should be understood as a legal positivist or a legal idealist. Yet this dichotomy does not do justice to the details of Socrates’ arguments. A better reading largely sidesteps that debate while demonstrating the internal and external coherence of the chapter. Moreover, the chapter has important theoretical continuities with Plato’s Crito, and thus has something to tell us about the historical Socrates.