Plato's political philosophy in the republic and the laws

The main purpose of this thesis is to attempt to understand Plato's political philosophy by comparing his works, The Republic and The Laws. Along the line of this aim, it will be given a treatment on why Plato needs two different state regimes and what these two regimes mean in terms of political philosophy. In the first chapter of the thesis, the political and intellectual background of the period in which Plato lived and the influences on his philosophy of Socrates, as the first political philosopher, will be discussed. In the second chapter of our study, the Republic will be examined to understand the "ideal regime" of Plato. In the third and final chapter, in the first place, The Statesman will be treated as a transition dialogue between The Republic and The Laws. Then, the relation between two regimes will be dealt on the basis of the account of The Laws, which describes the best possible state regime. These two works in question will be demonstrated to be presenting a whole in his political philosophy, by bringing out and focusing on the development and changes between two stages, namely, between the "ideal" and the "best possible regime".