Polis, Rational, Rule Of Law - Plato Legal Thinking Interpretation

Plato is an outstanding thinker in ancient Greece and a foundation stone of the origins of western culture as well. He is not so popular with some modern people, because he is regarded as an authoritarian. But in the author' s opinion, this attitude misunderstands him.Plato painstakingly insisted that we should use wisdom, not individual ideas to manage a city. In this article, the author puts Plato' s thought into the background of the Peloponnesian War to comprehend . The author finds that Athens and other ancient Greek cities were in "a time of moral crisis" . Though he criticized the democracy of Athens, Plato also criticized other constitutions. The Laws in these cities did not correspond with human nature. He thought that the changing direction of philosophy from concerning about nature to paying attention to human being was correct, but it was incorrect that man played a role as the measure of all things. Only human reasonableness or God reasonableness is truth. Therefore he is a real legislator not an authoritarian.In part one, the author examines Plato' s theory of Idea and justice, which were the basis of his political science. Plato took Idea for being, justice for reason and supreme justice. Thus the thought of Idea philosophy has tended to cosmic substance and human virtual life.In part two, the author amplifies Plato' s thought of national law. First, we can catch on the essence of justice of Plato. Reason, braveness and desire to be self-disciplined and united mutually are shown through comparing Plato' s justice with traditional justice. Secondly, we can survey The Republic from law aspects. Plato regarded that good law must came up to the human nature, and that a city must be governed by few people who knew the truth or lovedtruth. Those people can be well educated in a long time. Thirdly, The author analyzes the points and thought of law in The States man and The Law. Plato was always responsible for his state . He not only researched theory but also personally went into the Cave as well as the delivery of his compatriots. This showed that Plato always cared for practical politics of the State and always cared for morality and law. Plato was not desperate to turned to law from totalitarian too. In the Republic Plato mainly criticized Sophists who guessed that their opinions can be used to manage the State, hence he believed that only wisdom and real knowledge could be used to manage the State. This requested Plato primarily to answer what wisdom and justice should be and how to acquire them. When he wrote The Statesman and The Law, the chance to go into the cave had been ripe. It' s time for Plato to talk about legislation and how to administer law.In part three, the author compares Aristotle' s thought and Cicero' s thought with Plato' s briefly. We come to awareness that just Plato is the first thinker who insisted law doctrines, not Aristotle or Cicero. In a word, although Plato' s thought undoubtedly exists limitation, we can' t deny it' s great influence on western culture of law and order.