Penguin classics

Further Reading (xli-li) compiled by Rachana Kamtekar

Introduction. Politics in Plato's world ; Writing a 'Constitution' ; Writing a 'Constitution' for the soul ; Socrates in his time ; Socrates' death ; Socrates' arguments ; Thrasymachus' challenge ; Glaucon and Adeimantus' reformulation ; Redefining justice in the soul ; The analogy between souls and cities ; The attack on convention ; Philosophers must rule ; What the philosophers must know ; Ethics or politics? ; The impact and significance of 'The Republic' -- Further Reading / compiled by Rachana Kamtekar. Text, editions, commentaries ; Companions ; Historical background ; General works on Plato ; Collections of critical essays ; On particular topics in 'The Republic' -- The Republic. Characters in the dialogue -- Part I : Introduction (327). Prelude ; The conventional view of justice developed ; Thrasymachus and the rejection of conventional morality ; Adeimantus and Glaucon restate the case for injustice -- Part II : Preliminaries (367). First principles of social organization ; Civilized society ; Qualities required in the Guardians -- Part III : Education : The First Stage (376). Secondary or literary education ; Physical education -- Part IV : Guardians and Auxiliaries (412). The three classes and their mutual relations ; The Rulers' and Auxiliaries' way of life ; Final provisions for unity -- Part V : Justice in State and Individual (427). Justice in the State ; The elements in mental conflict ; Justice in the individual ; Conclusion -- Part VI : Women and the Family (499). The status of women ; Marriage and the family ; The rules of war -- Part VII : The Philosopher Ruler (471). The ideal and the actual ; Definition of the philosopher ; The prejudice against philosophy and the corruption of the philosophic nature in contemporary society ; The philosopher ruler not impossible ; The good as ultimate object of knowledge ; The Divided Line ; The simile of the cave -- Part VIII : Education of the Philosopher (521). Preliminary ; The five mathematical studies ; Dialectic ; Selection and curriculum -- Part IX : Imperfect Societies (543). Recapitulation ; Timarchy ; The timarchic character ; Oligarchy ; The oligarchic character ; Democracy ; The democratic character ; Tyranny ; The tyrannical character ; The types of character and their degrees of happiness ; Conclusion -- Part X : Theory of Art (595). Art and illusion ; The appeal of art and poetry ; The effects of poetry and drama -- Part XI : The Immortality of the Soul and the Rewards of Goodness (608). The soul immortal ; The rewards of goodness in this life ; The myth of Er -- Appendix I : The Philosophical Passages in the 'Republic' -- Appendix II : The Spindle of Necessity

"Plato's 'Republic' is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential works in the history of philosophy. Presented in the form of a dialogue between Socrates and three different interlocutors, it is an inquiry into the notion of a perfect community and the ideal individual within it. During the conversation other questions are raised: what is goodness; what is reality; what is knowledge? 'The Republic' also addresses the purpose of education and the roles of both women and men as 'guardians' of the people. With remarkable lucidity and deft use of allegory, Plato arrives at a depiction of a state bound by harmony and ruled by 'philosopher kings'."--

Translated from the Ancient Greek

"First published in this translation 1955. Second edition (revised) 1974. Reprinted with additional revisions 1987. Reissued with new Further Reading 2003. Reissued with new Introduction 2007"--Title page verso