PLATO AT THE MARKETPLACE

Abstract

In Plato‘s Republic and Laws, the market-place (agora) plays a part the importance of which has been misunderstood so far, mostly because it has been considered an equivalent of the «market» in the modern economic sense of the word. In both dialogues, Plato rather sees the economic aspect of the agora as a physical space of trade and exchange, and as a place where ethical and political issues are at stake. The political importance of the agora lies in the fact that, far from providing only what is necessary for daily life through commercial transactions, it is also the basic instrument and expression of a political link. This link consists in unifying the citizens in the civic community around shared values, in particular truth and justice.