The Republic â€� Reader Q&A

Questions About The Republic

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Answered Questions (4)

Am I the only one that is having a hard time getting through this because Plato appears to be advocating a lot of very evil stuff? Is it assumed he is speaking satire or not because sometimes its hard to tell.

Jared Ellison Most of the stuff you are speaking about is because a large part of The Republic is an allegory for the soul. Those middle books do get that way, I asâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ðMost of the stuff you are speaking about is because a large part of The Republic is an allegory for the soul. Those middle books do get that way, I assure you that he closes it out well. You could say that Socrates is making fatal and false assumptions about human nature, and that may be true in a literal read. The point is part satirical: he is merely taking one thing to follow from what they discussed earlier. It could also be a warning of the great affronts to one sort of nature you would have to do to get at ascendant perfection (or perhaps a comment on how the means do matter as well as the ends, etc.). Republic is a rich text, and everything has a vivid purpose. I read it while at Hillsdale College in a class, and it is still my favorite book. Perhaps an interpreter who goes through the powerful ideas in the book would be of use. The book is incredible to me. I hope you find someone who can help you to wring everything out of it (you may never wring it dry)(less)

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how many pages is it?

Shajahan Idayathulla 472 pages - Book 10.

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could someone give a proper definition of justices?

Philip Saunders Natural justice is reciprocity in all things.

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Please tell me the exact period when the original book was written and when it was translated into English?

Rob It should be noted that the oldest surviving manuscript of the Republic and about half of Platoâ€™s dialogues, the Clarke Plato, dates to 895. This is tâ€¦m´Ç°ù±ðIt should be noted that the oldest surviving manuscript of the Republic and about half of Platoâ€™s dialogues, the Clarke Plato, dates to 895. This is the source document, along with various fragments, used for translations. This old manuscript is still over 1,200 years after the date of original composition. (less)

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