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The Republic of Plato - Allan Bloom

The Republic by Plato is a landmark achievement in Ancient Greek philosophy - this edition contains every book, complete in a superb translation by Benjamin Jowett.

The Republic is the most celebrated text by Plato, which takes the form of a philosophical dialogue. The text is part conversation between a group of friends active in the Athens intellectual community, and part monologue from various participants in the discussion. The narrator and lead character is Socrates, Plato's friend and mentor, who appears in most of his pupil's dialogues and acts as surrogate to Plato's ideas. Throughout the text the 'Socratic method', whereby Socrates feigns ignorance and questions an adversary to receive insight on a given subject, is demonstrated.

Ten books in total comprise The Republic, the divisions thought to have been made due to the length of a roll of papyrus in Ancient Greece. The discussion begins with an attempt to find a definition for justice, wherein a disagreement between Thrasymachus - who believes justice is what is good for who is strongest at a given place and time - and Socrates, who believes that all members of society should, for the highest benefit of all, conform to just action.

In Book II, the discussion expands to include justice in the sense of a social contract. Whether or not justice happens only due to fear of reprisal, and whether justice is truly a high virtue of itself, are among the questions considered. Eventually the discussion expands further into the idea of a just city state: ideas of how such a society, embodying justice and order, might work commences with Socrates proposing an educated 'guardian' class of able-bodied men and women who would uphold order and defend such a city against threats from outside.

After expanding their ideas on the guardians, the dialogue proceeds onto other classes. It is here that Plato's famous idea of the philosopher king arises - the notion of a ruler who is appointed for holding the highest understanding of good and just rule, imparted to him at an early age by capable educators.