The Republic

By Plato

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Average Rating: (See all reviews) Format: Paperback, 320 pages Published In: United States, April 2000 Other Editions: Paperback, USA $11.99 View Quantity Available: 1 24 hour shipping Famous philosophical treatise of the 4th century BC concerns itself chiefly with the idea of justice, as well as such Platonic theories as that of ideas, the criticism of poetry, and the philosopher's role. Source of the famous cave myth and prototype for other imaginary commonwealths, including those of Cicero, St. Augustine, and More. Benjamin Jowett translation. Publisher: Dover Publications ISBN: 0486411214 EAN: 9780486411217 Dimensions: 20.98 x 13.16 x 1.73 centimeters (0.22 kg)

I have read some extracts before for politics so I can allready tell you a little.

Platos republic is a piece of political theory where Plato sets up what he sees as an 'ideal state' (in the sense of a political institution). This state actually seems rather stupid by todays standards. Things like the rulers (the guardians) having no private property, communal family responsibilites, well the abolition of family actually but the communal raising of the young.Its a meritocracy actually.

definition of meritocracy I pulled of the internet

"A social system in which rewards and occupational positions are allocated justly on the basis of merit, rather than ascriptive factors such as class, gender, ethnic group or wealth"

I quite like that idea. Plato describes this with 3 classes : the guardians;whom are the ruling class, auxiliries;below the guardians may possibley be guardians one day and the populace;whom are responsible for supplying the needs of the guardians. He uses the analogy that some are born with gold in there body, some with silver and some with bronze. You can work out for yourself what he means with that I think.

It is good because it is easy to read, well relativley easy. Much easier than say aristotle who is rather boring and dull. The republic is written as if it were a dialouge, this makes it easy and interesting to read. It also serves the purpose of the text quite well as it forces people to think about the issues that a raised. This is because the ideas go through a development process and any flaws can be pointed out by others in the dialouge, if that makes any sense, I think it does.

Plato's Republic is unparalleled in its coverage of all areas of life. While Plato addresses metaphysical issues, he does so with language and analogies that most people can grasp with studious reading. But Plato talks about much more than metaphysics. Marriage, music, war, kings, procreation and more are all topics of discussion for Plato's dialog. In addition to the teachings about life, this book also offers a great introduction to philosophy. The famous "cave story" illustrates not only the purpose of philosophy, but also the inherent difficulties. While this book is absolutely necessary for students of philosophy and religion, I think there are golden truths for all people no matter what they do.

So, why this particular translation of the work? This translation offers the best ease in reading while mainting a tight grasp of the original Greek meanings of Plato's text. Besides, it isn't that expensive.

This book is clearly a timeless classic, and if you can't read classical Greek, this translation is probably the best you will get.