Customer Reviews

Plato: Republic

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Plato's Republic is unparalleled in its coverage of all areas of life. While Plato addresses metaphysical issues, he does so with language and analogies that most people can grasp with studious reading. But Plato talks about much more than metaphysics. Marriage, music, war, kings, procreation and more are all topics of discussion for Plato's dialog. In addition to the teachings about life, this book also offers a great introduction to philosophy. The famous "cave story" illustrates not only the purpose of philosophy, but also the inherent difficulties. While this book is absolutely necessary for students of philosophy and religion, I think there are golden truths for all people no matter what they do.

So, why this particular translation of the work? This translation offers the best ease in reading while mainting a tight grasp of the original Greek meanings of Plato's text. Besides, it isn't that expensive.

This book is clearly a timeless classic, and if you can't read classical Greek, this translation is probably the best you will get.

This translation, the Grube-Reeve, was recommended to me along with Bloom's. I chose this. It is very readable with chapter summaries by the author.

The physical quality of this edition was a bit of a dissapointment. Hackett puts out editions cheaper than most, but usually they are of better quality than this. The paper is one step from newsprint. Not awful, but I would have liked something better.

In the "Republic," Plato may or may not have accomplished what he set out to do, which is to define justice and prove that it is superior to injustice, irregardless of either's consequences. However, what he DID do is set the foundation for over two thousand years of thought. Read this work slowly; within each of the seemingly-simple discussions there is a world of though to be discovered. Anyone with the least bit of background in philosophical readings can literally read page-by-page, discovering the sources of many of the greatest philosophers of all-time. The "Republic" is not so much a work of literature as it is an explosion of thought; a ten-book brainstorm of one of the greatest minds of all-time. By the work's end, whether or not you feel Socrates to have successfully answered Glaucon's challenge is almost irrelevant, for the argument will have already left your mind reeling.

This review is of ISBN-10: 0-87220-136-8, Plato * Republic, translated by G.M.A. Grube and revised by C.D.C. Reeve.

I somehow made it through high school and college learning about Plato and Socrates without reading any full-length works. That's changing this spring as I'm taking a discussion-based class on Plato's Republic. This text was recommended by our instructor, and I can see why. The translation is not cumbersome by striving for sheer literalness, but instead seeks to capture the flavor of the discussions Socrates had with others that Plato as a youth observed.

Footnotes are provided to explain the occasional word that has a different classical than contemporary meaning -- and yet you can read each of the 10 books (chapters) that comprise this volume first without attending to the footnotes, then re-reading the books along with their footnotes.

After having seen what gifted vs. pedestrian translations can do to the vigor and beauty of classic works (Beowulf, the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey come to mind), I can understand why Grube's translation is highly regarded. According to the scholar who performed the revision, no such work was called for until 20 years after publication (I am guessing to introduce more current English idiom and turn of phrase). The person who conducted the revision was encouraged to do so by the translator's family, which speaks to continuity.

Given its impact on Western philosophy and thought, the book may at first seem slender to you. Keep in mind that much of it is in the form of dialog -- presented for the most part without space-consuming "I said"s and "he said"s; clarity is preserved with paragraph indents. The brief italicized introductions to each book help ensure ready comprehension without spoonfeeding any philosophy.

The index and bibliography also are clear, well-presented and helpful. Note that the latter is toward the front of the book.

I applaud the price point; however, I think purchasers would have been better served by paying a buck more for better-quality paper stock. This is a book that cries out to be kept on one's bookshelf well past the completion of a particular class or a once-over reading. Unfortunately, the paper stock already suffers from read-through, even before being subjected to the pencil/pen jottings that many readers will be compelled to make. Those of you who tend to use a highlighter, I'd advise to do so with caution because the paper seems pretty absorbent.

I spent over a month reading this book carefully as I am a complete beginner in philosophy, and honestly it was rather intimidating at first, but I found the experience surprisingly manageable and pleasant not to mention educational. I also read the introduction before reading this book, and Sparknote afterwards to make sure I understood most of the main ideas, which was helpful. This was a very satisfying reading experience for me.

Aside from this edition I have also read a couple other translations, and this one is definitely the best one. you will also find the introduction to be very helpful in understanding the sometimes obscure Platonic philosophy.

Plato's "Republic" is probably the most important work in the history of Western Philosophy, or atleast I believe it is. The reader can literally flip from page to page counting how many subsequent philosphies arose from interpretations of the words on each page. Of all Western Philosophers, Plato was one of the greatest writers. Even though some readers may find the dialogue style exhausting, I find it enjoyable because it turns the real-life participants in the arguments into literary characters who can, at times, be quite humorous. All literary merits aside, the overabundance of profound thoughts to be found in "The Republic" make it a must-read for anyone who likes to think.

This publication is informative and thought provoking. The translation is smooth, understndable and easy to follow. I highly recommend it.

Most people associate Plato with the term platonic friendship, which is based on reciprocal understanding. Who is Plato? Why this magnificent idiom is attributed to him? This book will answer these questions. Believed to have been born in 428 BCE, Plato was an earnest student of Socrates. So staunch was the scholar's esteem of his mentor that he wrote this book.

In this dialogue, Socrates and Glaucon languorously discuss how to found a perfect republic or a nation. Both agree that to have an ideal form of government, it must be governed by a supreme ruler or in gentler term a model president. Plato argues that a ruler must be a philosopher. It is imperative that he is knowledgeable in music, poetry, physical training, and mathematics. He claims that for a country to be just, the ruler and its followers also have to be just. Hence, a lengthy discussion on what justice is preludes the founding of an idyllic country. In the same manner we like or dislike a particular plot of a story, we can only agree or disagree with Plato's philosophy.

Even if the establishment of a perfect state seems visionary, the words of Socrates as recollected by Plato remain the underpinning of ethics in politics and laws. Peruse this book if you can for it scrutinizes all the constituents of a successful state and its leader. It is a sensible read and a reminder of things we already know as decent human beings but we tend not to practice.

The father of all philosophy, all his ideas in one book! This book, which still interests and angers philosophers today, is the most startling and triumphant work composed in philosophy, ever. The allegory of the cave, the divided line theory, the utopian city, all the greatest philosophical ideas are contained here. This work inspires, enlightens, and develops the mind, of all readers, from young children to college philosophy professors. Enjoy!!!