Minos (dialogue)
The Minos ( Ancient Greek Μίνως MINOS ) is an ancient literary dialogue, which supposedly comes from Plato, but is now regarded as spurious in research. It is played a fictional philosophical conversation between Socrates and an unnamed friend. They discuss from a philosophical point of view the question of the standard, in which the state legislature has to align. A classic example of Socrates leads to the legislation of the Cretan King Minos, he represents a model as such. After Minos therefore the dialogue is named.
Content
When and in which environment plays the fictional dialogue and on what occasion he has started, will not be communicated. A clue provides only the fact that Socrates, who died in 399 BC, when he was seventy, as well as his interlocutor is already at an advanced age, as is apparent from a remark at the end.
The dialogue begins abruptly with the question of Socrates, where the essence of the law ( nomos ) exists. On the counter-question, what law he meant, replied Socrates, he was doing about the law per se, the law is the extent such. This could not Different Splendid include, but like gold, so far as it is gold, which has in itself no difference, as such, could only be one and the law.
The first proposed definition of the friend, the law is the ( by tradition and custom ) Declared turns out to be useless, because Socrates argues that just as the language was not identical to what is said, the law can not be defined as the fixed laws. The second proposal, the law is that which a State has brought into force, ie a force in the state of opinion is discarded, because both parties believe that the law must be a good and its properties belong necessarily justice and excellence. But this did not apply to all decisions of state legislators. A bad decision can therefore not be called a "law", but law is only that which corresponds to a good, so true opinion. These considerations lead to the conclusion that the law was based on discovery ( exheúresis " discovery ") of the ( metaphysical ) reality, the unchanging " beings ". In contrast, however, the objection is directed of his friend, the concrete existing laws are changeable and different in different states, which would not be the case if they were based on the discovery of a naturally given facts.
Replied Socrates, as the just and righteous always everywhere and the beautiful beautiful, so must also the Statutory be immutable and independent of location. Who departs from beings ( the nature- norm), from soft so that the statutory. In medicine, agriculture, gardening and cookery existed natural laws, the knowledge will always and everywhere taught by experts in the same way. Likewise, there was also in the art of setting up a state system the absolutely objectively right. Meanwhile, knowledge and implementation is the responsibility of the competent professionals. When this task will properly met, the written record of the known was to be called "law." What is however determined as a result of ignorance wrongly as a requirement, it was illegal in reality and am called only by the ignorant "law." Legislative changes were the result of ignorance of the objective reality on the part of legislators and proved their incompetence.
Then the conversation turns to historical aspects. Socrates points to the Cretans who had the oldest and best laws among the Greeks. Their author was King Minos. Minos stands among the Athenians unjustly bad reputation. He had received as a son of the god Zeus from his divine father instruction and therefore leave his fellow citizens optimal legislation. Some of it took over the Spartan lawgiver Lycurgus.
Socrates says that it is not enough to know who were the best legislators. Rather, it comes about as he notes in conclusion, it to determine what constitutes a situation of good quality legislation that would lead to the improvement of the soul. Not knowing is a disgrace for mature men like him and his friend.
Author, date of origin and sources
In modern research, the view has prevailed that the Minos has not been written by Plato, but by an unknown writer, who imitated the style of Plato's dialogues. The opposite opinion is rarely represented. The inauthenticity is derived from formal and content features.
As emergence time, the second half of the 4th century, it is widely believed, but can be a design or original version have originated as early as the first half. It is assumed that the author of the Platonic Academy belonged. Joachim Dalfen believes that the Minos and other spurious dialogues are working with their production Plato instructed his first students. This hypothesis explains Dalfen the proximity of these plants to Plato's early writings and the lack of elements that are typical of the later real dialogues.
The unknown author of Minos used Plato's genuine dialogue Politeia, the prefectures, however, he seems to have little used. Apparently he was influenced by the teachings of the philosopher Antisthenes. Especially the idea of a concrete existing in a State law, which corresponds to an absolute, timeless standard and therefore is absolutely right, points to Antisthenes, because Plato was in this respect a different opinion. Plato saw in any legislation in principle an imperfect attempt to regulate the special general; no legal text could anticipate each situational decision to be adopted. In the logic, epistemology and philosophy of language of Antisthenes, the demand for strict compliance of linguistic description, term and beings may be due.
Objective
The author of Minos turns radically against the spread in sophistic circles, opposed by Socrates, Plato and the Platonists relativistic understanding of law and justice. He refuses to regard the law as a mere convention, codification of local habits and result of deliberate policy decisions in individual states. Rather, he thinks strictly natural law and calls for a consistently emanating from the natural law idea terminology. The term "law" to be Socrates approves only those state regulations that reflect an assumed he objective reality of natural law. Such provisions based on sending the "discovery " of a legal nature, timeless reality "law" is convinced of the existence of the author. In his fight against the sophistry he served himself sophistical expressions. His disapproval of legislative changes is critical of the democratic practices of the Athenians, which led to legislative changes. This changing legislation it provides stability in non-democratic states (Crete, Sparta ) counter as a model.
Reception
In ancient times, there was no doubt as to the authenticity of Minos. Plutarch, Strabo, Clement of Alexandria and Proclus took on individual sites with respect and called explicitly Plato as a writer. In the tetralogy order of the works of Plato, which was apparently introduced in the 1st century BC, the Minos was ranked ninth in the tetralogy. The Diogenes Laertius Doxograph declared him one of the "political" dialogues and gave as an Alternative title " On the Law " at. He referred to a now lost copy of the Mittelplatonikers Thrasyllos.
The ancient textual tradition is limited to a few fragments of a papyrus manuscript from the early 3rd century.
The oldest preserved medieval Minos manuscript was made in the 9th century in the Byzantine Empire. In the Latin -speaking scholars of the West of Minos in the Middle Ages was unknown. Not later than the 11th century, a translation of the dialogue came into Armenian.
In the age of the Renaissance humanism of Minos was rediscovered. The humanist Marsilio Ficino held him for real and translated it into Latin. He shared the view expressed in the dialog belief that poor facilities do not qualify as laws. The translation he published in 1484 in Florence in the complete edition of his Latin translations of Plato. The first edition of the Greek text was published in September 1513 in Venice by Aldo Manuzio under the issued by Markos Musuros complete edition of the works of Plato. The Spanish theologian and philosopher Francisco Suárez ( † 1617) quoted the Minos after Ficino's translation.
In modern research has been the first Böckh August 1806, the spuriousness of the dialogue. Friedrich Schleiermacher shared his opinion.
Editions and translations
- Gunther Eigler (ed.): Plato: works in eight volumes, Volume 8 /2, 2nd edition, University Press, Darmstadt 1990, ISBN 3-534-11280-6, pp. 517-553 ( reprint of the critical edition of Joseph Souilhe, Paris in 1930, with a revised version of Klaus Schöpsdau the German translation of Hieronymus Mueller, Leipzig 1866)
- Joachim Dalfen (translator ): Plato: Minos ( = Plato: Works, edited by Ernst Heitsch and Carl Werner Müller, Volume IX 1. ). Cambridge University Press, Göttingen 2009, ISBN 978-3-525-30432-7
- Franz Susemihl (translator ): Minos. In: Erich Loewenthal (ed.): Plato: Complete Works in three volumes, Vol 1, unchanged reprint of the eighth, looked through edition, University Press, Darmstadt 2004, ISBN 3-534-17918-8, pp. 891-905