Plato: Republic – BK VIII
Apparently, according to Socrates, “everything that comes into being must decay” – no matter how perfect a constitution is, “dissolution” is an inevitable event that will occur. In Book VIII, Socrates takes us through the degradation of aristocracy by paralleling the four types of (bad) constitutions with four corresponding individual characteristics: 1. Timocracy: the first […]
“I’m kind of a big deal,” boasted Book XII of The Republic.
Book XXI of The Republic has every right to brag about its “street cred” for a number of reasons: The Allegory of the Cave. It’s so famous that they stuck it in a movie with Keanu Reeves (and that philosophers have been studying it for centuries because it’s one of the most intriguing ideas about […]
The Republic-Book VI
Having established that only philosophical natures can be rulers of the kallipolis, Socrates and co. proceed to both list and rule out qualities that would either characterize or exemplify a person from becoming a philosopher. A philosopher is quick to learn, has a good memory, is courageous, high-minded and virtuous. A philosopher is also born one. […]
The Republic – Book VIII
Plato returns to his discussion of the city and man constitutions in book VIII. Previously he described the ideal philosopher-king/queen and the kallipolis, now he sheds light on four other types of government and people that can result from a city. He also expands on the idea that “everything that comes into being must decay,” […]
The Republic: Book IX
In the 9th book of Plato’s Republic, Socrates continues to explain why living a just life is better than living an unjust life. To make the point clear, he focuses on the most unjust possible life: the life of a tyrant. He claims that tyrants are driven primarily by the appetite part of their soul. They […]
The Republic- Book X (summary)
Book X begins with the banishment of poets from the city with Socrates giving reasoning to his claim. Poets are ‘imitators’, “whose product is third from the natural one” (597 e pg.268). Those who write poetry act as though they know … Continue reading →
The Story of the Grotto: A Summary of the Allegory of the Cave
Book VII of Republic is perhaps the most important book of this work and certainly the most iconic one. In this section Plato, or rather Socrates, presents us with an interesting and disturbing image: the allegory of the cave. This “S & M” image starts out with some men trapped in a cave with chains […]
Republic – Book VI
Unsurprisingly, Plato values knowledge with the highest esteem. In Book VI of Plato’s Republic, Socrates explains why philosophers are the ideal rulers and not vicious or useless if raised under the right circumstances. Socrates doesn’t believe that it is at the fault of philosophy if philosophers are perceived as useless, and expresses this idea with […]
The Republic, Book X – tl;dr
“And that,” I concluded, “Is why justice is preferable to injustice.” “Wow, Socrates,” spoke Glaucon, “You’re so smart, I just want to lick your face.” …
The Imaginary City
In Republic by Plato, the main character, Socrates, discusses a theoretical city to demonstrate justice and injustice within a community and people. The town he imagines is unethical. Socrates talks about a city without free will, where people are born into their class and career with no ability to change their situation. Only the guardians, […] Continue reading →