by Plato, translated by Benjamin Jowett.
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On the surface, The Republic seems to have been written by Socrates, Plato's teacher. However, at the time of its creation, Socrates had been dead, put to death by the same city he spent his life instructing. Plato wanted to keep the memory of Socrates alive by using him as the main character. To do this, Plato wrote this dialogue as Socrates asking his followers questions aimed at defining justice. Plato develops what he believes is justice through the answers provided by the students. In order to develop the idea of justice he first formulates a perfectly just society by using Socrates' method of question and answer.
This perfectly just society has three castes forming a pyramid. The base of the pyramid, constituting the majority of the society, is the producers. This element of society followed nothing more than their desires. These people would go about their daily lives as doctors and merchants, buying and selling products and services. They would perform one job, and one job alone. This job would be what they were naturally suited for, what they had an aptitude for, such as farming or building. A doctor would not be found building a house or farming. Instead, he would stick to healing. This he saw a just, everyone doing what they were best suited for. In all other aspects the producers would live their lives very similarly to the present American social system.
The rest of the population made up the Guardian class. This was the educated class. They were taken from birth and educated in the right modes of music, logical thinking, physical conditioning, and given a formal philosophical background. For years, the guardian class would receive a formal education. The city would provide them with their basic needs. They would be provided shelter in the home of a citizen. They would be given enough food to sustain them. However, they would not lead a luxurious life. Luxuries would deter them from the proper mind set that Guardians should have. Guards were not to be after possession, but personal pride. Therefore, only their most basic and simple needs would be provided for. In order to procreate, the city would host a sort of breeding festival for the Guardians to produce children at as high a caliber, thus providing the city with another generation of Guardians. As their education progressed, those who appear to devote their lives toward furthering justice would be placed in the highest caste, that of the philosopher king. The remaining in the guardian class would form the Auxiliaries.
The Auxiliaries simply would carry out the orders of the Philosopher Kings. They were the soldiering class of the city, protecting the city from all outside enemies. A majority of their training would be physical. However, they would not stop educating themselves in the hope of one day becoming a philosopher king.
The Philosopher King was at the top of society's pyramid. He was there, not because he wished to rule, instead he was there because he did not want someone of less intelligence ruling over him. There was also an aspect of personal pride and respect. A philosopher king was never after money, luxury, or outside recognition. He was not one who would be after prizes, trophies, or awards. Instead, a philosopher king ruled so that an idiot would not rule him. He ruled for the personal feeling of doing a good job.
With this setup and class system, many believe that Plato favored a utopia. This, however, was not his plan. Instead, Plato defined justice. This system of government provided a just system. The elements and ideas in the dialogue can be applied to everyday life. With this in mind, a reader can utilize this to live a just life in an otherwise unjust world.
Another topic worth mentioning is Sigmund Freud's idea of the id, ego, and superego. When Freud's ideas are placed next to Plato's system of government in The Republic, they are identical. The id becomes the producers, the ego is the Auxiliaries, and the superego is the Philosopher King. Thus, Plato's ideas have made their way in to modern thought. However, these ideas are definitely not followed in today's world. Plato hails the intellectual ruler who is after nothing but personal pride. With campaign finances what they are, the election of George W. Bush to the Presidency, and the fact that Colin Powell will not become a leader one can see how little Plato's ideals are adhered to.
Plato's thoughts might not be followed, but they still exist, and are studied by many intellectuals. Many people read and re-read his dialogue. In fact, because of its immortal basis in philosophy, it has been placed in the Western Canon, the list of writings that most western thinkers study to get a broad philosophical background.
The Republic; Why this book, is so immensely good, and (even more importantly) Why you should read it
Plato's Republic is, any many ways, the exact opposite of contemporary political science - This is what makes it such a substantial work for politically interested people. In contrast with just about every other book on political science, The Republic is written in a captivating way. It discusses politics and political change - but it does not just tell you what needs to be changed, but also how and why - two questions frequently ignored otherwise.
Plato's radical way of observing politics is a substantial challenge to the modern reader. It provokes you to to think critically about politics, society, and the way in which we study them - the primary objective of any good book.
The best example of a thought-provoking issue is how readers today react to Plato's critique of democracy. The fun part is that everybody assumes that they have an answer of why democracy is the best form of government. By raising fundamental questions, both political and philosophical, the reader is forced to reconsider (or at least rethink) their views. Plato teaches us to have a closer look at our biases about democracy - we are forced to "defend" our form of government, based on reason in stead of emotion or authority
Another thing you can't help but admire with Plato is his way of manipulating his discussion partners. Closely related to other, less amicable debate techniques, but also with truly good speech and deduction techniques, Plato invariably puts his point across nicely.
In any case; If you have any interest in politics at all, go read this book!
In Book Three of The Republic, Plato provides an account of the type of education (or mousiké, which is best translated as education, but denotes something slightly different; according to translator Desmond Lee, mousiké includes training in philosophy, music, poetry and so on. This is a bit different from what we think of as education today!) he considers appropriate for children chosen to be the Guardians of The Republic (Plato's ideal state). Rather than prescribing an education in which one learns subjects such as mathematics, literature and so on, Plato chooses to proclaim that the Guardians be educated in a manner that will enable them to be the ultimate military force. In Plato's view, this involves not only teaching certain skills, but also restricting students from being exposed to certain "inappropriate" materials and/or aspects of society. In two sections, he deals with the mental and physical training which are necessary to successfully produce the Guardians. I will briefly discuss each section of Plato's conception of a proper education as described in The Republic, Book Three.
Plato examines the moral and theological qualities of the poets (most notable Homer and Hesiod) and their works. In traditional
