the republic

The Republic by Plato (427-347 B.C.) is a basically an examination of the "Good Life," or the harmony achieved by applying pure reason and justice. As a typical Plato piece, the book itself is a series of arguments between Socrates, Plato's mentor, and several other theorists. They argue issues concerning the social conditions of an ideal republic, which is chiefly Plato's vision projected through the book's words into our minds' eye. The book contains …

…rst, but then the individual will be set free; the highest pleasure is only reached by the philosopher (the lover of wisdom); a "greed for wealth" causes democracies to turn to tyranny; poets are "imitators," and he ends his discussions urging his colleagues to go out and follow his advice, employing reason to achieve justice and wisdom. By doing these instructions, we avoid chaos and create the ideal republic, as envisioned by Plato. Bibliography anonymous