The ‘Tatters to Tyranny Observation’ and Plato’s Final Response to the Appeal of Injustice in Laws X

Abstract The first part of this paper argues that there is a common core to the defenses of injustice offered by Plato’s immoralist characters. I show that in Gorgias , Republic , and Laws we find the ‘Tatters to Tyranny Observation.’ Socially disadvantaged individuals can, through the practice of injustice, ascend to ruling positions in society. In the second part of this paper, I leverage this finding to argue that Laws X contains a set of immoralist characters as well as a philosophical response to the appeal that injustice has for them. Though this has not been commented upon in the past, the prelude to the laws against impiety shows that the impious agents of Book X ought to avoid injustice. This is Plato’s final response to the appeal of injustice. The paper ends with a comparison of the different responses to the appeal of injustice in Gorgias , Republic , and Laws .