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Gender and Justice in Plato

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Steven Forde
Steven Forde*
Affiliation:
University of North Texas
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Abstract

Plato's proposal for the equality of the sexes remains one of the most controversial aspects of his argument in the Republic. I explore this argument with special emphasis on locating it within larger themes of the work, themes whose relevance to the argument on gender equality have often been ignored. On this basis, I find that Plato's defense of gender equality is serious, but that the foundation and the consequences of that argument have not usually been well understood. Plato's argument for gender equality rests on a distinctive view of human nature, and his elaboration of the consequences of pursuing gender equality reveal that a price would have to be paid for it that few are willing to accept. His argument should be considered by contemporary advocates of gender equality.

Type
Articles
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 91 , Issue 3 , September 1997 , pp. 657 - 670
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 1997

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