ἀναζήτησις τῶν παλαιῶν: indagine sul passato e valore paradigmatico della storia nelle Leggi di Platone

At the beginning of the third book of Plato’s Laws, the Athenian interlocutor recalls the early stages of humanity wondering if there is any truth in the ancient tales about the past (677a). The following section of the dialogue is configured as a discussion on the origins of civilization (677a-682d), which is based on a long authoritative tradition about an antique flood and the subsequent discovery of arts. Nevertheless, Plato is not interested in conducting an inquiry into the past, but rather in the interpretation of the facts and tales. By analysing poetical texts and scrutinizing the ancient tradition about the past, Plato takes part in a broader debate which started with the sophistic movement of the 5th century B.C. The development of the social forms of aggregation and the progress of techniques were central issues in the sophistic thought, as it is attested in Plato’s Protagoras. The essay examines to what extent the ancient tales about the past can be considered truthful by Plato. Following the dialogue lines, the reconstruction of the ancient past appears believable as the interlocutors’ reasoning is convincing. The facts are plausible, and therefore possible. Starting from these premises, the philosopher elaborates a construction of some historical paradigms which illustrate the laws dominating the human affairs.