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Republic (Barnes & Noble Classics) by intorduction and notes by Elizabeth Watson Scharffenberger
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June 24, 2026
Plato’s Republic is an exploration of the idea of Justice, what it is and whether the just man is happier than the unjust. In the middle of the book, he has a major digression in which he discusses the nature and value of philosophy.
Sandwiched between these two arguments, Plato discusses the rulers of his imagined state: the Philosopher Kings. In the course of this discussion he delved into the meaning of philosophy. The inclusion also includes an extended critique of art.
There are two major critiques of the whole before getting into a few of the specifics. In general, I find that I like Plato’s ideas as general rules, but it often feels like he states a general truth and then overplays it or overgeneralizes. He cuts out nuance except where it is needed to make his argument.
Still, the book is foundational to much of western philosophy, and worth reading if solely because of that, so long as you can make it through some Plato’s more radical ideas (does a just state have an obligation to lie to it’s citizens? Plato seems to think so!)
Sandwiched between these two arguments, Plato discusses the rulers of his imagined state: the Philosopher Kings. In the course of this discussion he delved into the meaning of philosophy. The inclusion also includes an extended critique of art.
There are two major critiques of the whole before getting into a few of the specifics. In general, I find that I like Plato’s ideas as general rules, but it often feels like he states a general truth and then overplays it or overgeneralizes. He cuts out nuance except where it is needed to make his argument.
Still, the book is foundational to much of western philosophy, and worth reading if solely because of that, so long as you can make it through some Plato’s more radical ideas (does a just state have an obligation to lie to it’s citizens? Plato seems to think so!)
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review