Regarded as Plato's most important work, The Republic has long been studied as a seminal text of the Western literary and philosophical canon. In this group of philosophical dialogues, Plato uses a conversational prose format to explore the nature of society, seeking to define the characteristics of an ideal society, or republic.
-- "Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Vol. 75 " --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Inside Flap
PHILOSOPHY'S MOST INFLUENTIAL TEXT
Despite being over 16 centuries old, The Republic still has much to say about what it means to live a good life today. On the surface the book lays out Plato's plan for a perfect society, but The Republic is also an extended metaphor for individual human potential. Plato's ideal state or society is characterised by wisdom, courage, self-discipline and justice; qualities that also motivate and shape a well-balanced person someone who is 'just' or good.
This keepsake edition includes an introduction by philosophy and personal development scholar Tom Butler-Bowdon, drawing out lessons for the contemporary reader, and showing the power of The Republic as a guide for success today.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Plato's musings on how society should function, as well as the nature of the people who inhabit society, is read by Bruce Alexander in this abridgment. The recording and Alexander's performance are flawless. A veteran Shakespearean actor, Alexander has a voice that is rich and versatile in portraying each of the speakers in this dialogue. His accent also has an air of authority. He makes one suppose that the ancient Greek philosophers went to Oxford. This work is really delightful to hear as one follows the course of Socrates' arguments and the questions thrown at him by the Athenians. The packaging is sturdy, and the enclosed outline is most helpful. Music at the beginning and end of each side does not distract from the performance. A wonderful introduction to Plato. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. About the Author
Plato (428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a philosopher in Classical Greece and the founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. He is widely considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy, especially the Western tradition. Unlike nearly all of his philosophical contemporaries, Plato's entire œuvre is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years. Along with his teacher, Socrates, and his most famous student, Aristotle, Plato laid the very foundations of Western philosophy and science. Alfred North Whitehead once noted: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." In addition to being a foundational figure for Western science, philosophy, and mathematics, Plato has also often been cited as one of the founders of Western religion and spirituality. Friedrich Nietzsche, amongst other scholars, called Christianity, "Platonism for the people." Plato's influence on Christian thought is often thought to be mediated by his major influence on Saint Augustine of Hippo, one of the most important philosophers and theologians in the history of Christianity. Plato was the innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms in philosophy, which originate with him. Plato appears to have been the founder of Western political philosophy, with his Republic, and Laws among other dialogues, providing some of the earliest extant treatments of political questions from a philosophical perspective. Plato's own most decisive philosophical influences are usually thought to have been Socrates, Parmenides, Heraclitus and Pythagoras, although few of his predecessors' works remain extant and much of what we know about these figures today derives from Plato himself. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Author
Plato was the most famous of the Greek philosophers, aside from his teacher Socrates. He founded the Academy in Athens, written dialogue, political philosophy, epistemology, the concept of religion, and many other crucial elements of thought. All were attributed to Plato, which laid the framework for Western philosophy as we know it. He was also credited for famed protégé Aristotle, whose contributions to philosophy and thought are often deemed of equal or greater importance.
Simon Blackburn is a British American philosopher. He has been a professor at University of Cambridge and currently teaches at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a former editor of the journal The Mind and is the author of Plato’s Republic: A Biography. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Book Description
This book, first published in 2000 is a vivid and accurate rendition of Plato's classic work of political thought. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Back Cover
This celebrated philosophical work of the fourth century B.C. contemplates the elements of an ideal state, serving as the forerunner for such other classics of political thought as Cicero's De Republica, St. Augustine's City of God, and Thomas More's Utopia.
Written in the form of a dialog in which Socrates questions his students and fellow citizens, The Republic concerns itself chiefly with the question, "What is justice?" as well as Plato's theory of ideas and his conception of the philosopher's role in society. To explore the latter, he invents the allegory of the cave to illustrate his notion that ordinary men are like prisoners in a cave, observing only the shadows of things, while philosophers are those who venture outside the cave and see things as they really are, and whose task it is to return to the cave and tell the truth about what they have seen. This dynamic metaphor expresses at once the eternal conflict between the world of the senses (the cave) and the world of ideas (the world outside the cave), and the philosopher's role as mediator between the two.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Publisher
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Socrates: I went down yesterday to Piraeus with Glaucon, Ariston’s son, to pray to the goddess, wanting at the same time also to see the way they were going to hold the festival, since they were now conducting it for the first time. The parade of the local residents seemed to me to be beautiful, while the one that the Thracians put on looked no less appropriate. And having prayed and having seen, we went off toward the city. Spotting us from a distance then as we headed home, Polemarchus, Cephalus’s son, ordered his slave to run and order us to wait for him. And grabbing me from behind by my cloak, the slave said “Polemarchus orders you to wait.” And I turned around and asked him where the man himself was. “He’s coming along from behind,” he said. “Just wait.” “Certainly we’ll wait” said Glaucon. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Review
"[Griffith's] aim was to traslate the Greek text as if it were a conversation, and he has succeeded admirably." Library Journal
"In addition to a vivid, dignified and accurate rendition of Plato's text, the student and general reader will find many aids to comprehension in this volume: an introduction that assesses the cultural background to the Republic, its place within political philosophy, and its general argument; succinct notes in the body of the text; an analytical summary of the work's content; a full glossary of proper names; a chronology of important events; and a guide to further reading. The result is an accomplished and accessible edition of this seminal work, suitable for philosophers and classicists as well as historians of political thought at all levels." African Sun Times Review of Books --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Review
Regarded as Plato's most important work, The Republic has long been studied as a seminal text of the Western literary and philosophical canon. In this group of philosophical dialogues, Plato uses a conversational prose format to explore the nature of society, seeking to define the characteristics of an ideal society, or republic.
-- "Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Vol. 75 " --This text refers to the audioCD edition. 
