The Ancient Conception of the Good

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel explores ancient conceptions of the good by examining how various philosophic accounts of virtue, law, and education respond to the limits of human nature and political life. From Aristotle’s treatment of pleasure and self-sufficiency in the Nicomachean Ethics to Plato’s analysis of the tension between education and corruption in the Republic, the papers consider how the good shapes and is shaped by the demands of the soul as opposed to those of the city. Socratic inquiry into law in the Minos and into the nature of wisdom and education in the Alcibiades I further reveal the challenges of orienting individuals and regimes toward what is truly best. Together, these papers offer insight into the fragility of the good and the philosophical project to secure it.

Sub Unit

• Ancient & Medieval Political Theory

Chair

• Dana Stauffer, University of Texas at Austin

Individual Presentations

• On the Limits of Law: Plato’s Minos - Luke Spitzley, Boston College

• Socrates’ Teaching and Intention in the Alcibiades I - Stephen R Matter, Arizona State University

• Education and Corruption in Plato’s Republic - Quinn Rifkin, Boston College

• Justice in Plato’s Eutyphro - Benjamin Morgan, Boston College

Discussant

• Rachel Mackey, Hudson Institute