L'immagine di Sparta nei dialoghi platonici

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Since antiquity Sparta has been seen as the source of inspiration for Plato's political projects which he described in his major dialogues, the Republic and the Laws. Nevertheless an attentive reading of the dialogues shows a more complex picture, which expresses Plato's more equivocal, perhaps even highly critical opinion on the Spartan polis. This book analyzes the references to Sparta in Plato's dialogues and first and foremost stresses their rhetorical and argumentative function within the dialogical plot. Furthermore it scrutinizes the picture of Sparta drawn by Plato and suggests a re-evaluation of its objectivity with regard to the latest historical findings. Finally it examines the connection between Plato's philosophical assessment of Sparta and the ethical and political theory drafted in the dialogues.