Book IV of Plato's longest dialogue, The Laws, places the spotlight on the qualities of virtuous leadership as the three characters - the unnamed Athenian, Clinias from Crete, and Megillus from Sparta - discuss the establishment of Crete's new colony. The skill of the leader, says the Athenian, must help guide the colony through the risks and rewards of chance and opportunity. These, he says, reign supreme in the universe where God, not man, is the measure of all things. A spirited discussion ensued when members of the Toronto, Calgary, and Chicago Philosophy Meetup groups convened on April 28, 2024. We brought the themes of The Laws squarely into the 21st century, as participants raised similarities between the discussion written 2,400 years ago and the current global political situation. One member recalled that God, as defined in Book X, is Reason, and Reason is both the origin and middle of the universe. We discussed the possible benefits of the lengthy justifications of laws that the Athenian introduces. We also noted that at several points Book IV reminds us that the colony will embody a mixture of political styles, partially democratic and partially monarchical, like the constitutions of Crete and Sparta which are the homes of two of the three characters.

Our discussion on Book III of Plato’s longest dialogue, The Laws, began by considering the consequences of natural cataclysms that invariably befall humanity. Plato opens the book with the emergence of early human communities that begin with goodwill when people are few and resources are relatively abundant, and many fascinating observations emerged when members of the Toronto, Calgary, and Chicago Philosophy Meetup groups convened on April 14, 2024 to consider this and the other themes of Book III. One participant asked whether humans are inherently bad, and others highlighted Plato’s understanding of human behaviour in the context of political economy, a modern field of study, and that the rough edges of reason are best tempered by drink and music as we age. Book III focuses on the social benefits of concord between the extremes of pain and pleasure, on the one hand, and on the other hand reason – which Plato wrote in Book X is in the very middle of the universe. Book III stresses the importance of education, appreciation for proportion, and inculcation of a common sense of virtue among members of a community, which are topics that yielded some deep insights in our discussion.

Our coverage of Plato’s longest dialogue, The Laws, continues with a discussion on Book II, building on the connection of virtue and happiness that was emphasized in Book I. As the Athenian, Cretan, and Spartan proceed in considering the ideal framework for a constitution, the theme of harmony in the soul and in the community is central to Book II. How are children to be educated, to instill in them a sense of virtue and to find happiness in its pursuit? When members of the Toronto, Calgary, and Chicago Philosophy Meetup groups convened on March 24, 2024, questions were raised about a perceived elitism in Plato and whether his educational approach is a form of indoctrination, any more than modern education might be considered as such. In any event, some form of understanding is required to find virtue in the “general concord of reason and emotion,” and Book II focuses on learning to judge the consequences of pleasure and pain that motivate human behaviour. We’ll follow in our next episode with Book III, beginning where Book II ends highlighting the importance of correctly determining proportions and fidelity in representations.