{"product_id":"9780691236070","title":"Plato's Second Republic : An Essay on the Laws","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn argument for why Plato's Laws can be considered his most important political dialogue\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn Plato's Second Republic, André Laks argues that the Laws, Plato's last and longest dialogue, is also his most important political work, surpassing the Republic in historical relevance. Laks offers a thorough reappraisal of this less renowned text, and examines how it provides a critical foundation for the principles of lawmaking. In doing so, he makes clear the tremendous impact the Laws had not only on political philosophy, but also on modern political history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLaks shows how the four central ideas in the Laws—the corruptibility of unchecked power, the rule of law, a \"middle\" constitution, and the political necessity of legislative preambles—are articulated within an intricate and masterful literary architecture. He reveals how the work develops a theological conception of law anchored in political ideas about a god, divine reason, that is the measure of political order. Laks's reading opens a complex analysis of the relationships between rulers and citizens; their roles in a political system; the power of reason and persuasion, as opposed to force, in commanding obedience; and the place of freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePlato's Second Republic presents a sophisticated reevaluation of a philosophical work that has exerted an enormous if often hidden influence even into the present day.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48702367301867,"sku":"EB_PH0600_D08-08_SIMS","price":39.24,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0758\/4484\/5803\/files\/9780691236070-1.jpg?v=1781632587","url":"https:\/\/kinokuniya.com.sg\/zh\/products\/9780691236070","provider":"Books Kinokuniya Singapore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}