Original Publication Date: 380 BC Genre: Socratic Dialogue
Topics: Society, Government, Justice
Review by: Melissa at Avid Reader's Musings
The Republic
by Plato
★★★★☆
This famous piece of literature
introduces readers to the Socratic method. Socrates was a famous Greek
philosopher and his student Plato wrote about his method of teaching. Instead
of informing or explaining things, Socrates would ask questions and open a
dialogue with his students.
He shared his philosophical view by
asking questions and making his students reach the conclusions on their own.
His political theories and observations are still relevant, though the book was
written in 300 BC. In The Republic Socrates discusses the way to create a
perfect society. They work their way through the different rules and
regulations that society would need. They decide what their education would
focus on and whether there would be equality between the sexes, etc. As they
talk through all of the details of their society they come to the inevitable
conclusion that it can never exist. Mankind is too flawed and even with the
best of intentions, political leaders are corrupted by power.
The other major issue up for debate
is justice. Each man comes to the table with a slightly different view of how
to define justice. Is justice helping your friends? Is it unjust to injure your
enemies? These questions make the Athenians go round and round as they each add
their opinions to the mix. This book also includes the famous allegory of the
cave, which is discussed in every Philosophy 101 class.
BOTTOM LINE: The arguments
aren’t flawless, but it’s the style of arguing that makes this such a
compelling read. I enjoyed every second of it and would highly recommend
finding an audio version if you can.
“The society we have described can
never grow into a reality or see the light of day, and there will be no end to
the troubles of states, or indeed, my dear Glaucon, of humanity itself, till
philosophers become rulers in this world, or till those we now call kings and
rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy
thus come into the same hands.”
“They agreed to avoid doing
injustice in order to avoid suffering it. This is the origin of laws and
contracts.”
“Don’t you think this is why education in the arts is so
powerful? Rhythm and harmony find their way to the inner part of the soul and
establish themselves there, bringing grace to the well-educated.”
Download Title by author at Project Gutenberg|Librivox|
Originally posted at Avid Reader's Musings.
