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muhavipi's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars are for books that get me to think and/or change a perspective. Plato/Socrates can certainly do that. The Republic is a necessary read to understand underlying elements of Philosophy and Christian theology.
emily0mcguire's review against another edition
2.0
Made it about a third of the way through. So. Dry.
athousandgreatbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Nothing beautiful without struggle
Written around 375 BC, Plato’s The Republic is an ancient philosophical text presented in a series of dialogues between Socrates and his three interlocutors on the ideas of the perfect state and the individual within it.
During the course of the conversation, many questions are raised, concerning goodness, justice, the different forms of government, the structure of the ideal state, and the nature of the guardians (read philosopher kings) that ought to govern the just state. Socrates discusses these questions and delineates, through his trademark dialectics, the unsullied and the ideal forms of these concepts and the need to aspire towards them for a better community.
The internal organization of the State and the virtues thereof are juxtaposed with those of the individual within it, and as far as they are comparable, the Republic can also be seen as a text of moral philosophy just as much as it is of political philosophy. Indeed, Socrates’ main concern is with the individual, and only by extension does he define and expand on the nature of the State.
With exceptional lucidity and clinical use of the Socratic Method, Plato arrives at his theory of forms and his famous ‘The Allegory of the Cave’ and traces out a state bound by harmony and ruled by philosopher kings.
His interlocutors make up the mouthpiece for the common opinions held by Athenians (that seem very familiar) which Socrates argues against, and highlights through his own (feigned) ignorance the ignorance of others.
There is no doubt that there are many flaws with Plato’s arguments (especially his ideas on communal living for the guardians and the role of arts in education) which become all the more apparent with the straw-men positions that his debaters take.
But his points are cogent enough to provoke thought and a philosophical examination of one’s life, which I believe is more the purpose of this book than to incite any form of revolution based upon a theory. A quiet revolution within is much more necessary to live a harmonious life, even if the state outside doesn’t crown one a king.
Plato’s defense of philosophy, his views on the corruptors of prodigious youth, and the regression of the different states of government – from his espoused Aristocracy through Timocracy, Oligarchy, all the way to Democracy and Tyranny – make up the best chapters (6 through 8) of the book when Socrates brings out his big guns. If you don’t have the time to go through the whole book, I would definitely recommend checking those chapters out.
Written around 375 BC, Plato’s The Republic is an ancient philosophical text presented in a series of dialogues between Socrates and his three interlocutors on the ideas of the perfect state and the individual within it.
During the course of the conversation, many questions are raised, concerning goodness, justice, the different forms of government, the structure of the ideal state, and the nature of the guardians (read philosopher kings) that ought to govern the just state. Socrates discusses these questions and delineates, through his trademark dialectics, the unsullied and the ideal forms of these concepts and the need to aspire towards them for a better community.
The internal organization of the State and the virtues thereof are juxtaposed with those of the individual within it, and as far as they are comparable, the Republic can also be seen as a text of moral philosophy just as much as it is of political philosophy. Indeed, Socrates’ main concern is with the individual, and only by extension does he define and expand on the nature of the State.
With exceptional lucidity and clinical use of the Socratic Method, Plato arrives at his theory of forms and his famous ‘The Allegory of the Cave’ and traces out a state bound by harmony and ruled by philosopher kings.
His interlocutors make up the mouthpiece for the common opinions held by Athenians (that seem very familiar) which Socrates argues against, and highlights through his own (feigned) ignorance the ignorance of others.
There is no doubt that there are many flaws with Plato’s arguments (especially his ideas on communal living for the guardians and the role of arts in education) which become all the more apparent with the straw-men positions that his debaters take.
But his points are cogent enough to provoke thought and a philosophical examination of one’s life, which I believe is more the purpose of this book than to incite any form of revolution based upon a theory. A quiet revolution within is much more necessary to live a harmonious life, even if the state outside doesn’t crown one a king.
Plato’s defense of philosophy, his views on the corruptors of prodigious youth, and the regression of the different states of government – from his espoused Aristocracy through Timocracy, Oligarchy, all the way to Democracy and Tyranny – make up the best chapters (6 through 8) of the book when Socrates brings out his big guns. If you don’t have the time to go through the whole book, I would definitely recommend checking those chapters out.