Golden-Age Foundation of Platonic Political Theory: On the Myth of the ‘Statesman’ and the Religious Tradition
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/endoxa.38.2016.11288Keywords:
Ancient Philosophy, Plato, Statesman, Myth of the Golden AgeAbstract
This contribution aims to briefly review the literature and state of the art regarding the Myth of Plato’s Statesman and to propose at first a new reading of such myth in light of the ancient Greek religious tradition and, specifically, of the Leitmotiv of the Hesiodic Myth of the Ages of Man. Secondly, we will put forward a comparison of this myth and its religious background with other political dialogues of the Athenian philosopher, notably with the Laws, which could point out the notion of the Golden Age and the divine government as a political ideal. The consideration of this passage of the Statesman in way of foundation of the mythical and allusive levels for these notions in other dialogues of Plato (especially in the Laws) would illustrate, if our working hypothesis is confirmed, the interaction of the global political project of the philosopher and the use of religious tradition and mythical examples of in other political dialogues.
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