The Republic (Penguin Classics)

Well, what else can you say about The Republic? This book had a much bigger impact on me than I thought it would. I write my reviews as a general reader, not from an academic point of view, so if you are reading for personal reasons, then this review may help you. I think one of the mistakes you can make with The Republic is to think it is all about politics. It is far from that. It is as much concerned about the individual leading a happy and just life. It is obvious that there are many parallels drawn during the book on the state and the individual, but I think there is an even bigger allegory at play concerning the state as the individual, that perhaps Plato was using behind the whole framework. The politics is undeniable though. Plato himself was from an aristocratic Athenian background, and he writes at length (through Socrates) of the different types of societies in place, and why The Republic that he has created (in thought) is the best possible system that could exist. It is perhaps a cliché to say that it couldn’t work, but it really wouldn’t. The most frightening aspects of The Republic seem to have been a precursor to the totalitarian governments such as the Nazi regime, that would appear two and half thousand years later. It appears that the people cannot be trusted with their own thoughts, and their minds must be carefully crafted to avoid being educated with anything the rulers disagree with, particularly the dramatic Greek poets. In its most chilling passage, The Republic would “quietly and secretly dispose” of children conceived by ‘inferior guardians’. There are books written in defence of Plato regarding this aspect, some suggesting that he may not have meant to imply to kill infants but it is hard to agree with those thoughts when you read the following passage -“We shall first order them to make every effort to prevent any conception which takes place in these unions [close family members] from seeing the light at all, and if they fail to prevent its birth, to dispose of it as a creature that must not be reared”. I think that’s pretty clear. The notes of this Penguin Classics version state that there would be nothing very shocking to Greek sentiment regarding infanticide. It seems that the practice took place in Sparta and Athens, so perhaps one can read further into The Republic bearing this in mind, but it is still nothing short of shocking to read these passages, and again, it is another example of how the terrible aspects of this ideal state have been part of later tyrannical governments. Where the book redeems itself is how the individual can lead a just and happy life. I can’t even number the amount of passages I have underlined. There is some wonderful literature and poetry mixed in with the philosophy. The Simile of the Cave in Book VII is particularly brilliant. You will find it fascinating to read this section, as it metaphorically describes how the vast majority of people live their lives within a cave, thinking that their own shadows are reality, when in fact the true life has to be found outside the cave. Only those who can bear the adjustment of facing the bright light will make it out of the cave. As Plato would have it, they must return to the cave to teach people of the true life. The essence of The Republic is on leading a just life, and the discussion regarding the ideal state begins because Socrates is arguing why it pays better to live a just life. At first his opponents believe that it is the unjust who live the happier and better lives, and it takes Socrates the majority of the book to demonstrate why living a just life is better for the individual. Is it easy to read? There are indeed some difficult sections, and the similes are quite tricky to understand at first. In general though, I think if you stick at it and read plenty a day, the book will engross you, and by the end of it, you will definitely find the pay offs. The last section in particular, is one of my favourite passages, and even the final paragraph has magic within it. As with many of the classic books, it will require several readings to fully understand it, but even then I’m sure people will question if you really can achieve that. It is enlightening, uplifting, confusing and horrifying, but there is a reason it is regarded as one of the finest pieces of philosophy ever written. Students will read it if it is part of their course anyway, but for anyone else, let this historical masterpiece draw you in and give you some reasons to live a just and happy life.

Great read.

Classic literature

Before purchasing this book I read a review that suggested The Republic was such a radiant piece of political philosophy that it should be made mandatory reading for teenagers and young adults, and having been simultaneously both at my time of considering reading it, I decided to test what extent I agreed with the hypothesis by firsthand experience and bought a copy. I should point out, I read it from the perspective of political philosophy, rather than as a greek historical text, as a classics student might. The major merit of this book is, in my opinion, in the introduction, where Plato makes a compelling case for the argument that the corrupt outcompete the benevolent for positions of power and authority. He also points out the major flaw of democracy, that is, that a majority can legally impose an injustice on the minority, and 'proves' that all existing power systems are inherently flawed. The book is written in the form of a fictional dialogue between a fictional version of Socrates and some friends, who gather round at somebody's house to chill and end up on some 10 hour marathon of a philosophical discussion. The format is quite entertaining and novel, if not the most formal and scholarly way to present serious arguments. The remainder of the book is devoted to Plato's (rather self-righteous) suggestion as to how a state can arise in which positions of power are sustainably held by the benevolent and social justice is achieved. Unfortunately, Plato's logic is far from rigorous, making use of metaphors and obvious logical jumps to arrive at some frankly quite ridiculous fallacies. For example, in Plato's ideal state he will have eugenics, the proof of the morality and propriety of which lies in that the selective breeding of animals by humans is known to produce desirable results. What?! Also, Plato is quite adamant that in his state everyone will be naked. Romantic love is essentially banned and replaced with some sort of contrived familial love between all the citizens. Families in the traditional sense are banned, love-making occurs 1984 style (if you've haven't read 1984, basically it's loveless and purely a means of reproduction), babies are removed from their parents and raised publicly. All this is the name of justice. It's all quite fantastical and get's increasingly so as Plato reveals his grand plan, his "constitution". With translated works there is usually some concern over the quality of translation. I found the book to read very well, especially with the helpful footnotes from the translator. In fact, it's surprising how closely engaged I found myself with a work written thousands of years ago in a different language (no, I don't read the Bible). The analogy between ancient Greek society, frequently alluded to in The Republic, especially their moral issues, and contemporary societies was quite striking. So in conclusion, should this book be read by every young person? I think so. Although it's a highly imperfect piece of work, it's thoroughly intellectually stimulating, and lays a good foundation for more well thought out philosophies. And even though Plato's suggested state is a bit silly, the problems from which it's intended to save human society, which are reviewed in detail throughout, form a valuable component of the book.

Is the UK an oligarchy - with its powerful banks, police, insurance companies and newspapers? Why, if democracy is so good, do so many voters distrust and dislike politicians? Is Mario Monti, the technocrat Italian prime minister in 2011/2012, the ideal kind of leader (despite his lack of popularity at home) that Socrates describes as the guardian? Will watching TV and shortening our attention spans lead to the degradation of democracy? He wrote it 2,400 years ago and much of it is controversial (particularly his distrust of democracy) but Plato's portrayal of Socrates describing the ideal republic and the ideal person is a marvellous start for an analysis of modern politics, life and discipline. It is long and can be difficult at times but most of it is illuminating, optimistic and well worth studying. It is hard to disagree with his idea wisdom leads you to the best life, and that if you make mistakes you have not reached the right level of wisdom. And could we dispute the four virtues he holds up as being the necessary ones for states and individuals - courage, discipline, justice and, of course, wisdom. A question I would ask is how the reluctant leader/guardian type would come out under the modern Myers-Briggs analysis? Are they INTJs and INTPs?

A classic read but don’t rush to finish it

I read this translation originally, but I lost my copy and decided to replace it with a nicer-looking hardback copy ( The Republic: The Influential Classic (Capstone Classics) ). I didn't know what all the fuss was about over different translations... but I quickly found out! The hardback I bought was a translation by Tom Butler-Bowdon and I hated it. I would read a paragraph and then wonder what on earth I'd just read. Somehow, the words just felt unnatural and it was difficult to take in. At first I thought it was because I was tired, but then I realised it was the translation. This paperback version (translated by Desmond Lee) is, by contrast, wonderful So smooth and easy to take in. After a few days of frustration with the hardback, I ditched it and bought the Lee translation again. I love this book. It has been a favorite of mine for years. I'm so glad to have my old friendly version back again. It turns out the translation makes all the difference. It's a shame about the hardback. I really liked the way it looked on my shelf, but the old cliché is true: you can't judge a book by its cover!

Came exactly as described

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I personally always prefer a Penguin because of the fantastic essays before the book actually begins. Any praise I could give for Melissa Lane's essay would be inadequate to describe how great it actually is. It is brief yet it puts the book in perspective for a reader who is not very well acquainted with Plato's writings. Those who are more acquainted would not find the essay as fantastic. The translation is not 2013 modern but it is translated into intelligible modern English (no "art thou's" or other archaic Shakespearian sounding English). I have not completed reading the book but I have completed reading part one (the introduction) and in my opinion it is a fantastic translation. As a religion student I have taken my share of ancient Greek classes so I appreciate the translators notes on the difficulty of translating certain sections. Because I know the dead language I can see why somethings would be difficult especially with Plato's τέχνη (techne) analogies in section one. These notes aren't just there to mark where the translation is difficult but also to give the reader an introduction to the following argument to help the reader keep up with Plato's thoughts (especially when they begin to get complicated and intertwined with ancient modern ideas that we are ignorant about). If you are debating between this copy or another, I recommend this one.

Essential history book, one of the best. Must read, specially for people interested in philosophy. ‼️‼️‼️

Decent book, but it’s very easy to get lost & there’s many words that probably you will have to look up to understand.

if you dont know politics Read This Book! its the blueprint to all political lunacy