#  Mariana Beatriz Noé (Harvard University), "Plato's Non-ideal Theory" 

 



####  calendar\_today Date and Time 

 **March 7, 2024** 

 03:00PM - 05:00PM EST 

####  pin\_drop Location 

 **Robbins Library, Emerson Hall 211**  



 

 



 

   ![History of Philosophy](/sites/g/files/omnuum4731/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/mcdonough/files/histofphil_mariana_1_4.png?itok=fygDSpuv) 

 

 **Abstract:** Contemporary political philosophers have argued that we need normative theories for non-ideal scenarios — scenarios that involve unfavorable political, historical, social, and/or economic conditions. In this talk, I argue that Plato’s *Laws* envisages another reason for non-ideal theory: human beings are metaphysically limited. This limitation has political, ethical, and epistemic consequences: human beings cannot live in perfect political organizations or under perfect institutions, they cannot possess perfect virtue, nor can they aspire to a precisely educated city. Nevertheless, humans ought to strive to become better, and they ought to aim for a social order that supports this. For this reason, Plato presents both ideal and non-ideal scenarios, side by side, in order to guide future lawgivers.  
It is sometimes assumed that virtue ethics—because of its preoccupation with a perfect person—has nothing to say about non-ideal settings. Contrary to this assumption, I argue that Plato’s *Laws* is a rich resource for non-ideal theory.



 

 



 

 

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