No. 53 (2017): Julio-diciembre
Articles

To Obey the Laws? Utilitarianism, Forensic Rhetoric and Authority in Plato’s Crito (50a6- 50b5)

PDF (Español (España)) XML (Español (España))
  • Eduardo Esteban Magoja
Eduardo Esteban Magoja
Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Derecho
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21555/top.v0i53.815

Published 2017-07-01

Keywords

How to Cite

Magoja, E. E. (2017). To Obey the Laws? Utilitarianism, Forensic Rhetoric and Authority in Plato’s Crito (50a6- 50b5). Tópicos, Revista De Filosofía, (53), 411. https://doi.org/10.21555/top.v0i53.815
Copyright Notice

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Altmetrics

Citas

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Abstract

In Plato’s Crito an interesting utilitarian argument is used in order to justify the political obligation of the citizens. The argument holds that the violation of laws leads to the destruction of any legal system and carries harmful results for the community members (50a6-50c). In this paper, we shall make a critical analysis of the argument under the postulates of three utilitarian versions: act utilitarianism, utilitarian generalization and rule utilitarianism. We will see how this kind of argumentation has some drawbacks when it comes to justify the obedience to law. Once we have done this study we will offer another complementary interpretation about the meaning of the passage in which its forensic rhetorical side and the idea of the authority of law will be highlighted.

 

PDF (Español (España)) XML (Español (España))

References

  1. Burnet, J. (ed.) (1929). Plato’s Euthyphro, Apology of Socrates and Crito. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  2. Eggers Lan, C. (trad.) (2010). Platón. Critón. Buenos Aires: Eudeba.
  3. Gómez-Lobo, A. (trad.) (1998). Platón. Critón. Santiago de Chile: Editorial Universitaria.
  4. Marías, J. & Araujo, M. (eds.) (1951). Aristóteles. Política. Edición bilingüe. Madrid: Institutos de Estudios Políticos.
  5. Bibliografía secundaria
  6. Allen, R. E. (1980). Socrates and Legal Obligation. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.
  7. ____ (1972). Law and Justice in Plato’s Crito. En The Journal of Philosophy, 69, 18, 557-567.
  8. Anscombe, G. E. M. (1978). On the Source of the Authority of the State. En Ratio, 20, 1, 1-28.
  9. Bentham, J. (2008 [1780]). Los principios de la moral y la legislación. Buenos Aires: Claridad.
  10. ____ (2001 [1891]). A Fragment of Government. Union, N.J.: Lawbook Exchange.
  11. Beran, H. (1977). In Defense of the Consent Theory of Political Obligation and Authority. En Ethics, 87, 3, 260-271.
  12. Brandt, R. B. (1994). Teoría Ética. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
  13. ____ (1992). Morality, Utilitarianism and Rights. Cambridge: University Press.
  14. ____ (1964). The Concepts of Obligation and Duty. En Mind, New Series, 73, 291, 374-393.
  15. ____ (1963). Toward a Credible Form of Utilitarianism. En Castaneda, H. N. & Nakhnikian, G. (eds.) Morality and the Language of Conduct (107-143). Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  16. Colaiaco, J. A. (2001). Socrates against Athens. Philosophy on Trial. London: Routledge.
  17. Colson, D. D. (1985). On appealing to Athenian law to justify Socrates’ disobedience. En Apeiron: A Journal for Ancient Philosophy and Science, 19, 2, 133-151.
  18. Congleton, A. (1974). Two Kinds of Lawlessness: Plato’s Crito. En Political Theory, 2, 4, 432-446.
  19. D’Amato, A. (1976). Obligation to Obey the Law: A Study of the Death of Socrates. En Southern California Law Review, 49, 1079-1108.
  20. DeLue, S. D. (1977). Plato’s Crito as a Defense of Critical Inquiry. En The Journal of Politics, 39, 2, 472-479.
  21. Diggs, B. J. (1964). Rules and Utilitarianism. En American Philosophical Quarterly, 1, 1, 32-44.
  22. Dingman, K. (2005). Obedience to the State in the Apology and the Crito. En Aporia, 15, 1, 35-50.
  23. Dyson, M. (1978). The Structure of the Laws’ Speech in Plato’s Crito. En The Classical Quarterly, New Series, 28, 2, 427-436.
  24. Edmundson, W. A. (1998). Three Anarchical Fallacies: An Essay on Political Authority. Cambridge: University Press.
  25. Farrell, M. D. (1992). Métodos de la ética. Buenos Aires: Abeledo-Perrot. Fernández García, E. (1994). La obediencia al Derecho. Madrid: Editorial Civitas.
  26. Finnis, J. (2011). Positivism and ́Authority ́. En Philosophy of Law. Collected Essays, vol. IV. (74-87). Oxford: University Press.
  27. ____ (2000). Ley Natural y Derechos Naturales. Buenos Aires: Abeledo-Perrot.
  28. Fuller, L. (1958). Positivism and Fidelity to Law: A Reply to Professor Hart. En Harvard Law Review, 71, 4, 630-672.
  29. Garver, E. (2012). Plato’s Crito and the Nature of Persuasion and Obedience. En Polis, 29, 1, 1-20.
  30. Greenawalt, K. (1987). Conflicts of Law and Morality. New York: Oxford University Press.
  31. Hanna, N. (2007). Socrates and Superiority. En The Southern Journal of Philosophy, 45, 2, 251-268.
  32. Hansen, M. H. (2015) Political Obligation in Ancient Greece and in the Modern World. Scientia Danica. Copenhagen: Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab.
  33. Harrison, J. (1952-53). Utilitarianism, Universalisation, and Our Duty to Be Just. En Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, New Series, 53, 105- 134.
  34. Hart, H. L. A. (1977). Obligación jurídica y obligación moral. En Cuadernos de Crítica, UNAM, 3, 5-33.
  35. ____ (1955). Are There Any Natural Rights? En Philosophical Review, 64, 2, 175-191.
  36. Hecht, J. (2011). Fair Play: Resolving the Crito-Apology Problem. En History of Political Thought, 32, 4, 543-564.
  37. Hermann. D. H. J. (1981). Socrates on Justice and Legal Obligation. En Seton Hall L. Rev., 11, 4, 663-678.
  38. Himma, K. E. (2001). Law’s Claim of Legitimate Authority. En Coleman, J. L. (ed.) Hart’s Postscript: Essays on the Postscript to the Concept of Law. (271-309). Oxford: University Press.
  39. Horton, J. P. (2010). Political Obligation. Basingstoke: Pelgrave Macmillan. Hume, D. (2011 [1748]). Del contrato original. En Ensayos Políticos. (91-106). Buenos Aires: Claridad.
  40. ____ (2005 [1740]). Tratado de la Naturaleza Humana. México: Editorial Porrúa.
  41. Irwin, T. H. (1986). Socratic Inquiry and Politics. En Ethics, 96, 2, 400-415. Johnson, C. (1990). Socrates on Obedience and Justice. En The Western Political Quarterly, 43, 4, 719-740.
  42. Klosko, G. (2004 [1992]). The Principle of Fairness and Political Obligation. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield.
  43. Knowles, D. (2010). Political Obligation. A critical introduction. London: Routledge.
  44. Kojève, A. (2006). La noción de autoridad. Buenos Aires: Nueva Visión.
  45. Kraut, R. (1984). Socrates and the State. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
  46. ____ (1981). Plato’s Apology and Crito: Two Recent Studies. En Ethics, 91, 4, 651-664.
  47. Kymlicka, W. (1995). Filosofía política contemporánea. Una introducción. Barcelona: Ariel.
  48. Lyons, D. (2002). Forms and Limits of Utilitarianism. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  49. Mackie, J. L. (2000). Ética. La invención de lo bueno y lo malo. Barcelona: Gedisa.
  50. Malem Seña, J. F. (2000). La obediencia al derecho. En Garzón Valdés, E. & Laporta, F. J. (eds.) El derecho y la justicia. (521-536). Madrid: Trotta.
  51. Martin, R. (1970). Socrates on Disobedience to Law. En The Review of Metaphysics, 24, 1, 21-38.
  52. Mill, J. S. (2007 [1863]). El utilitarismo. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
  53. Nino, C. (2000). Introducción al análisis del derecho. Buenos Aires: Astrea.
  54. Penner, T. (1997). Two Notes on the Crito: The Impotence of the Many, and ‘Persuade or Obey’. En The Classical Quarterly, New Series, 47, 1, 153-166.
  55. Pitkin, H. (1966). Obligation and Consent II. En The American Political Science Review, 60, 1, 39-52.
  56. Rachels, J. (2007). Introducción a la losofía moral. México: F.C.E.
  57. Raphael, D. D. (1970). Problems of Political Philosophy. New York: Praeger Publishers, Inc.
  58. Raz, J. (2001). La ética en el ámbito público. Barcelona: Gedisa.
  59. ____ (1986). The Morality of Freedom. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  60. ____ (1985). Authority and Justification. En Philosophy & Public Affairs, 14, 1, 3-29.
  61. ____ (1982). La Autoridad del Derecho. Ensayos sobre Moral y Derecho. México: U.N.A.M.
  62. ____ (1981). Authority and Consent. En Virginia Law Review, 67, 1, 103-131.
  63. Rivas Palá, P. (1996). Justicia, Comunidad, Obediencia. El pensamiento de Sócrates ante la Ley. Pamplona: EUNSA.
  64. Santas, G. (1979). Socrates: Philosophy in Plato’s Early Dialogues. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
  65. Sartorius, R. (1999 [1981]). Political Authority and Political Obligation. En Edmundson, W. A. (ed.) The Duty to Obey the Law. (143-157). Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield.
  66. Sidgwick, H. (1981 [1874]). The Methods of Ethics. Indianapolis: Hackett.
  67. Simmons, A. J. (1979). Moral Principles and Political Obligation. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
  68. Smart, J. J. C. & Williams, B. (1981). Utilitarismo: pro y contra. Madrid: Tecnos.
  69. Smith, M. B. E. (1999 [1973]). Is There a Prima Facie Obligation to Obey the Law? En Edmundson, W. A. (ed.) The Duty to Obey the Law. (75-106). Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield.
  70. Sobel, J. H. (1997). Hume’s Utilitarian Theory of Right Action. En The Philosophical Quarterly, 47, 186, 55-72.
  71. Vlastos, G. (1995 [1974]). Socrates on Political Obedience and Disobedience. En Graham, D. W. (ed.) Gregory Vlastos. Studies in Greek Philosophy. Socrates, Plato, and Their Tradition, vol. II, Princeton: University Press.
  72. Wade, F. C. (1971). In Defense of Socrates. En The Review of Metaphysics, 25, 2, 311-325.
  73. Wolff, R. P. (1998 [1971]). In Defense of Anarchism, Berkeley: University of California.
  74. Woozley, A. D. (1979). Law and Obedience: the arguments of Plato’s Crito. London: Duckworth.
  75. ____ (1971). Socrates on Disobeying the Law. En Vlastos, G. (ed.) The Philosophy of Socrates. (229-318). New York: Anchor Books.
  76. Young, G. (1974). Socrates and Obedience. En Phronesis, 19, 1, 1-29.