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Reading The Republic by Plato

 I had picked up The Republic in August last year and only finished reading it in the beginning of January. Getting through this book has been an achievement for me. I procrastinated a lot because I was intimidated by the level of difficulty, but it was all worth it. I had come across Plato's theory of the Philosopher King when I was attending my Jurisprudence class and was so intrigued that I ended up getting into The Republic. 



Let's talk about Plato. We all have heard about Plato and Socrates as the greatest philosophers. Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher. He was a student of Socrates. Most of his works reflect the ideas of Socrates and he is the main character of his dialogues. Plato authored about thirty-six dialogues. The Republic is his most renowned work.

In Greek the title is understood as "Politeia" which can be rendered something closer to 'forms of government' or perhaps 'constitution'.

The Republic is set in Athens. Socrates was sentenced to death after being accused of corrupting the youth of Athens. Plato has heavily criticized the democracy of Athens. In his Republic, Plato favors the system of Aristocracy, and the concept of Philosopher king is introduced. The Republic visualizes the formation of an ideal state and in the process touches upon the most iconic philosophical concepts that cover education, ethics and forms of governments. 

I read the translation by Benjamin Jowett. The book was 400 pages long. The dialogue is divided into ten books.  The scene is laid in the house of Cephalus at the Piraeus; and the whole dialogue is narrated by Socrates the day after it actually took place to Timaeus, Hermocrates, Critias, and a nameless person who are introduced in the Timaeus. 

I am going to list down the themes that I recognized as the major themes of the dialogue:

1) The concept of Justice.  The comparative structure of the human soul and the state. 

2) Education in the State 

3) Position of women

4) Doctrine of Forms

5) The Democratic Man

6) The Reward for the just.

The discussed themes were quite complex and throughout my reading i referred to summaries and blogs along with the sparknotes reading guide. 

The dialogue starts with the discussion of the nature of Justice. The question arises to what is just and what is unjust. The discussion is full of contradictions, and I found it thoroughly interesting. The discussion does not reach a conclusion and Justice remains the main theme throughout the dialogue. 

Plato's views regarding women really interested me. In the dialogue Plato considers that the soul is what carries the virtues, a woman can have the same qualities as a man, she can be a warrior, a philosopher or even a ruler. 

The Doctrine of Forms was what excited me the most. Socrates differentiates between the images and ideas. Ideas are what make true knowledge and ideas can be explained through forms which are beyond the realm of tangible objects. He gives the example of a person drawing a geometrical shape. What he draws is different from what he pictures in his head which is the idea of the shape. The quality of the drawing will depend upon the person's understanding of the form of the shape. The famous cave theory originated in this dialogue which is undoubtedly the most exciting part of the book. 

Plato says that true and reliable knowledge rests only with those who can comprehend the true reality behind the world of everyday experience.

I cannot really discuss every theme of the dialogue in this blog because it will get longer and longer. Reading this book was such an experience. When you read the original texts of a philosopher you get to know the nuances of his thoughts and theories, which cannot really be absorbed through a YouTube video or a summary (which are good alternatives if you don't really have the time). I think I will be reading more dialogues of Plato after this. I am currently reading The Symposium and I think Plato is an amazing writer. He is humorous and witty, and his dialogues are charming and interesting even for today, and of course they are a treasure of knowledge. I will probably be rereading The Republic in future for a clearer understanding. Being patient is the way! 

Here are some of the webpages I referred to, while reading the book:

About Plato

Theory of Forms

Women in Plato's Republic

Division of soul

Study Guide

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