Plato

Plato’s The Republic, written around 380 BC, is a remarkable inquiry into the ideal city and the ideal citizen.

In Plato’s famous Socratic dialogue, Socrates, accompanied by prominent Athenian citizens, but also by foreigners, all present at the home of Polemarchus in Piraeus, discuss and imagine an ideal city. They debate fundamental ethical questions, such as: What is the definition of Justice? Who is righteous and who is unrighteous? How happy is the righteous man compared to the unrighteous? How are knowing and believing different?

Plato also deals with the ideal ruler, as well as the role of education, philosophy, or poetry, in a harmonious society, often using famous allegories, such as that of the Cave. After debating five different forms of government, the philosopher concludes at a depiction of an ideal state ruled by a “philosopher king.”

Plato’s The Republic is a classic work that has shaped Western philosophical and political thought. Its main question remains: how can we create a perfect society, despite the human kind being imperfect? This abridged version proposed by KAKTOS Publications makes the work accessible to anyone wishing to become accustomed with the founding ideas of the ideal governance.