Essay Database

One of the first works of political philosophy is the Republic of Plato which is a masterpiece of insight and feeling, mainly expressed in dialogue form. Further development of Plato's ideas is undertaken in his Statesman and Laws, the latter prescribing the ruthless methods where they might be imposed. Plato grew up during the Great War between Athens and Sparta in which Athens lost and, like many political philosophers, tried to find ways for prevalent …

…probably not saying that whatever the mightiest do really is right; he is more likely to have been denying that the difference between right and wrong has any objective basis. He would then encourage his students to follow their own interests as best they could. He is thus an early representative of doubts about morals and perhaps of a form of selfishness, the view that the rational thing to do is follow one's own interests.