Patricide and Plato’s Deontic Option
Abstract
Abstract This article argues that we find a deontic option in Plato’s Laws in the form of a legal permission for victims to release their killers from punishment in cases of anger homicide. This legal permission challenges the current scholarly consensus that Plato’s ethics and politics are exclusively teleological, as it permits individuals to act in a way that is overall worse for the city and for the victim. The article also argues that we can learn about Plato’s reasons for accepting the deontic option by considering its origins in the Athenian Law code and contemporary Athenian morality.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Classical Philosophy and Thought
Classical Antiquity Studies
Philosophical Ethics and Theory
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Polis The Journal for Ancient Greek and Roman Political Thought
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 53–76
- Publication date
- 7 January 2026