PhilosophyBook · -375
The Republic
Plato
Socrates and his companions build an ideal city in speech to work out what justice means, and end up with philosopher kings, censored poetry and the allegory of the cave. Much of what Western political philosophy argues about starts here, including the parts that are hard to defend.
Why you should read this
Plato's most read work and the usual starting point for introductions to Western political philosophy, using dialogue rather than treatise form to work through justice, the ideal state and the nature of knowledge. Its length and digressive structure reward patience more than a quick read would.
- Field
- Philosophy
- Form
- Non-fiction
- Published
- 375 BCE
- Themes
- Political PhilosophyPhilosophy
