Plato's Penal Code by Saunders

Plato's Penal Code by Saunders

This book assesses Plato's penal code within the tradition of Greek penology. Saunders provides a detailed exposition of the emergence of the concept of publicly controlled, rationally calculated, and socially directed punishment in the period between Homer and Plato. He outlines the serious debate that ensued in the fifth century over the opposition by philosophers to popular judicial assumptions, and shows how the philosophical arguments gradually gained ground. He demonstrates that Plato advanced the most radical of the philosophical formulations of the concept of punishment in his Laws, arguing that punishment is or should be utilitarian and strictly reformative. This first comprehensive and detailed study of Plato's penology gives deserved attention to the works of a most important political and legal thinker.

'Professor Saunders isn't a boreHis book is long-range anthropology of the most scholarly kind.' Nigel Walker, University of Cambridge, British Journal of Criminology, Vol. 33, No. 1, Winter 1993
'a very useful and clear account of the actual practice of Athenian law, how it developed. and the relationship of Plato's ideas to what was actually going on in his own day ... This book is, quite simply, essential reading.' Greece & Rome, April 1993
'This latest book is his most substantial work thus far and incorporates the results of many of his earlier forth his main thesis clearly and defends it vigorously ... there is much of value in S.'s work ... His book will certainly be the starting point for future work on Plato's penology.' Michael Gagarin, University of Texas, The Classical Review, Vol. XLIII, No. 1, 1993
'Saunders has done a splendid job of categorizing Plato's ideas about all types of penalties and then comparing them with what we know about penology of his time, especially at Athens. Saunder's interpretations will provide a fertile ground for future discussion.' Donald F. Jackson, University of Iowa, Religious Studies Review, Volume 19, Number 2, April 1993
'Throughout Saunders exercises admirable patience in sorting out the often confusing or obscure passages in the Laws; many sections amount to detailed philological and historical commentary on extended passages from Plato's unfinished (and probably unrevised) work. I recommend this book warmly to students of Plato's political thought and of Greek law; despite its massive detail and painstaking analysis, Saunders manages to infect the reader with his fascination for the subject.' John Bussanich, University of New Mexico, Classical World

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780198149606
ISBN 10	0198149603
Title	Plato's Penal Code
Author	Saunders
Series	Clarendon Paperbacks Ser
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	1993-12-16
Number of pages	432
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.