Plato: The Necessity of War, the Quest for Peace

Journal of Military Ethics 1 (1):36-44 (2002)
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Abstract

Although Plato writes less about war than we might expect--especially considering the fact that his dialogues are historically set during the Peloponnesian War--the right conduct of war constitutes a crucial concern for Plato. In both the Alcibiades and Laches dialogues, rightful conduct of war is linked to the practice of virtue. Neither a good statesman nor a good military man can ignore this link, which joins military pursuits not only to courage, but to the whole of virtue, including justice. In the Republic , the passage from a luxurious city to a well-ordered and virtuous city is described by means of the proper education of the city's military guardians, and a teaching of ius in bello --to use a just-war term--for wars between Greeks is outlined. Finally, in the Laws , peace, not war, is presented as the true aim of good laws, and the importance of legitimate authority in war-making is duly emphasized

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Citations of this work

Plato, Thucydides, and the Education of Alcibiades.Henrik Syse - 2006 - Journal of Military Ethics 5 (4):290-302.

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References found in this work

The Republic.Paul Plato & Shorey - 2000 - ePenguin. Edited by Cynthia Johnson, Holly Davidson Lewis & Benjamin Jowett.
The Laws of Plato.E. B. Plato & England - 1980 - London: University of Chicago Press. Edited by A. E. Taylor.
The argument and the action of Plato's Laws.Leo Strauss - 1975 - Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Edited by Plato.

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