Slavery in Plato's Republic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9666404 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Brian Calvert (University of Guelph, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1987 |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 367-372 |
| Publication date | 1987-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Classical Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0009-8388 • E-ISSN: 1471-6844 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0009838800030561 |
| OpenAlex | W2006844850 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 25 |
| References cited | 1 |
For a number of years, in the not too distant past, there was a lively debate between Plato's defenders and critics over the question of whether his Republic contained slaves. However, since the appearance of an article by Gregory Vlastos1 some twenty years ago, it seems to have been generally felt that the issue has been resolved, and the controversy has died down. Vlastos argued that the evidence admits of no doubt - Plato included slaves in his ideal state. In this paper, I wish to have the case reopened, and to revive interest in what I believe should continue to be a matter of debate. In opposition to what has become the standard view, I am inclined to think, on balance, that his Republic could not contain slaves. Vlastos begins by reminding us that, on those occasions when Plato wants to propose a radical change from existing institutions, he argues for such a change. If he had intended to abolish slavery from his ideal society, this would have been a radical change, and we should have expected him to indicate clearly such an intention, and to justify it. Since no justification is forthcoming, we may presume that no change is envisaged. This line of argument I shall call the presumptive argument. One version of it is mentioned by R. B. Levinson,2 namely that the rough and dirty work, carried on behind the scene by slaves, will take place as usual, and the continuance of slavery is assumed without question
Argument (complex analysis · Art · Balance (ability · Continuance · Epistemology · Ideal (ethics · Literature · Opposition (politics · Political science · Politics · State (computer science · The Republic · Wish · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Computer Science · History · Law · Medieval and Classical Philosophy · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy · Psychology
Sin as Slavery and/or Slavery as Sin? On the Relationship between Slavery and Christian Hamartiology in Late Ancient Christianity
The Cambridge World History Of Slavery
The Helots
Archaeology and Greek slavery
Slaves in Greek literary culture
Resisting slavery at Rome
Slavery in the Roman Republic
Slavery and the Greek family
Slavery in the late Roman world
Slave labour and Roman society
Slavery Under the Principate
Slavery in the Hellenistic world
Classical Athens
Slavery and economy in the Greek world
The Roman slave supply
Resistance among chattel slaves in the classical Greek world
Slavery and Roman material culture
The slave supply in classical Greece
Slavery in the ancient Near East
Slavery and Roman literary culture
Slavery and the Roman family
The Manumission of Socrates
The Cambridge World History of Slavery
Abolish the Oikos
An Argument Against Slavery in the Republic
| Unique citing works | 25 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,56 |
| Citation span | 2010 - 2023 (14) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 24 |