Law, Self and Society

This book seeks to reinstate the ethical subject at the heart of social and legal theory. It begins by making a case for the straightforward plausibility and enduring scientific usefulness of the tripartite model of the Soul and its nourishment found in Plato. It questions why this model has been abandoned, and shows how and why this ancient metaphysical conception is still required and might be defended in contemporary theoretical terms. The book argues that there are jurisprudential, sociological, moral and psychological resources available to recapture the opportunity to refashion with confidence a more intuitively fulfilling understanding of law, self and society.