On the Value of Drunkenness in the Laws

Abstract

Plato’s attitude towards drunkenness ( mËjh ) is surprisingly positive in the Laws , especially as compared to his negative treatment of intoxication in the Republic . 1 In the Republic , Plato maintains that intoxication causes cowardice and intemperance (3.398e–399e, 3.403e, and 9.571c–573b), while in the Laws , Plato holds that it can produce courage and temperance (1.635b, 1.645d–650a, and 2.665c–672d). This raises the question: Did Plato change his mind, and if he did, why? 2 Ultimately, this paper answers affirmatively and argues that this marks a substantive shift in Plato’s attitude towards anti-rational desires. 3 More precisely, this paper argues that in the Republic , Plato holds that anti-rational desires are always detrimental to health and virtue, while in the Laws , Plato maintains that anti-rational desires can be instrumental to health and virtue.