Occidental Studies

Law, Soul, and Political Theology: Reinterpreting Plato’s Laws through the Lens of Socratic Political Philosophy

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

shervin Moghimi
Sepideh Mirmajidi

Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies

10.30465/os.2026.54920.2117
Abstract
This article challenges the dominant interpretive framework that draws a fundamental distinction between Plato’s Republic and Laws, which is often understood as a shift from idealism to political realism. It argues instead that these two dialogues should be read as different articulations of a single Socratic political-philosophical project centered on the relation between philosophy, politics, and the formation of the human soul. Drawing on al-Farabi’s Summary of the Laws and contemporary Straussian interpretations, the article shows that in the Laws, law is not merely a mechanism of political order but a form of psychic education that seeks to regulate human passions—especially eros and thumos—through moderation. The role of poetry, music, and political theology is emphasized as integral to this educational framework. The main thesis is that the theological prelude to law and the discourse on the gods function as rhetorical and pedagogical strategies that secure obedience to law while preserving the possibility of philosophical life. Ultimately, the article concludes that the unifying theme of both the Republic and the Laws is the problem of the soul and the conditions for the coexistence of philosophy and political life.

Keywords

“Plato’s political philosophy”
“Plato’s Laws”
“Plato’s Republic”
“soul education”
“political theology”

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