Saturday, March 22, 2025

Review of The Republic Of Plato by Plato, and Allan Bloom

This book review was written by Eugene Kernes   

Book can be found in: 
Genre = Philosophy
Book Club Event = Book List (04/19/2025)


Watch Short Review

Excerpts

“”Doesn’t doing just things also produce justice and unjust ones injustice”  |  “Necessarily”  |  “To produce health is to establish the parts of the body in a relation of masting, and being mastered by, one another that is according to nature, while to produce sickness is to establish a relation of ruling, and being ruled by, one another that is contrary to nature.”  |  “It is.”  | “Then, in its turn,”  I said, “isn’t to produce justice to establish the parts of the soul in a relation of masting, and being masted by, one another that is according to nature, while to produce injustice is to establish a relation of ruling, and being ruled by, one another that is contrary to nature?”  |  “Entirely so,” he said.  |  “Virtue, then, as it seems, would be a certain health, beauty and good condition of a soul, and vice a sickness, ugliness and weakness.”” – Plato, Book II, Page 158


“”What else but what’s next?” I said.  “Since philosophers are those who are able to grasp what is always the same in all respects, while those who are not able to do so but wander among what is many and varies in all ways are not philosophers, which should be the leaders of a city?”  |  “How should we put it so as to speak sensibly” he said.  |  “Those who look as if they’re capable of guarding the laws and practices of cities should be established as guardians.”  |  “Right,” he said.  |  “But is it plain,” I said, “whether it’s a blind guardian or a sharp-sighted one who ought to keep watch over anything?”  |  “of course it’s plain,” he said.  |  “Well, does there seem to be any difference, then, between blind men and those men who are really deprived of the knowledge of what each thing is; those who have no clear pattern in the soul, and are hence unable – after looking off, as painters do, toward what is truest, and ever referring to it and contemplating it as precisely as possible – to give laws about what is fine, just, and good, if any need to be given, and as guardians to preserve those that are already established?”” – Plato, Book VI, Page 192

 


“”Well, then, I suppose that if the nature we set down for the philosopher chances on a suitable course of learning, it will necessarily grow and come to every kind of virtue; but if it isn’t sown, planted, and nourished in what’s suitable, it will come to all the opposite, unless one of the gods chances to assist it.  Or do you too believe, as do the many, that certain young men are corrupted by sophists, and that there are certain sophists who in a private capacity corrupt to an extent worth mentioning?  Isn’t it rather the very men who say this who are the biggest sophists, who educate most perfectly and who turn out young and old, men and women, just the way they want them to be?”” – Plato, Book VI, Page 199


Review

Is This An Overview?

The rule of the many cannot develop a just society, for the many are corruptible.  Most people would be willing to do harm to others to help themselves, but are prevented by the potential consequences of being caught.  The corruptible are those who cannot understand ideas that do not change, the perfect.  The corruptible mislead others, and therefore need to have their ideas removed from society. 

 

Within society, there are a few who can understand what is always the same, the philosophers.  The philosophers are those in possession of knowledge that make them worthy of being rulers, creating a necessary hierarchy.  Philosophers can become guardians of society, to preserve laws.  A just society needs philosopher-kings to lead them.  For a philosopher-king can withstand the corruption of the many, and educate the many to behave justly.  The soul of these guardians is filled by knowing that which is always the same, immortal and true. 

 

What Did The Ancillary Authors Think? 

The translator, and introductory author, claimed that The Republic was not written to be reasonable, to make valuable claims, but to be a drama of ideas.  To be outrageous and absurd.  To provoke thought.   To be read as dramatic irony rather than for political ideas. 

 

This claims seems to be problematic given that Plato’s contemporaries did not treat Plato’s ideas in such a way, and by dismissing the claims in the book removes Plato’s responsibility from the ideas.

 

Caveats?

This book is presented as a dialectic, a discussion of ideas, a dialogue.  The discussion is an illusion.  Plato uses Socrates as a method of explaining ideas, rather than explaining the ideas of Socrates the philosopher.  The characters who are part of the discussion, sometimes provide readily overcome criticism, but throughout most of the conversation, they just accept and praise every Socrates claim.  Deferring to Socrates rather than having a conversation with Socrates.  Just like how the people who are ruled are meant to defer to the philosopher-king who is supposed to know the appropriate decision.  The claims that are provided are generally flawed as they use irrelevant comparisons, have contradictions, and assume no possible alternative idea is acceptable. 


Questions to Consider while Reading the Book

•What is the raison d’etre of the book?  For what purpose did the author write the book?  Why do people read this book?
•What are some limitations of the book?
•To whom would you suggest this book?
•Where did the title, ‘The Republic’, come from?
•What was Socrates influence on Plato? 
•Who was critical of The Republic and why were they critical of the ideas?
•For what purpose does Bloom think The Republic was written for? 
•Why is Socrates?
•Is it possible to persuade people who do not listen?
•What is the benefit of doing certain type of work?
•What is the benefit of art?
•What would happened should someone possess a ring that made them invisible?  
•How should work be divided in a city?
•What is free from lies?
•What is the purpose of an education?
•Should terror be taught? 
•What are the two parts of a soul?
•Who are philosophers?
•What is corruption?
•Who are guardians?
•Who are the philosopher-kings?
•What is Plato’s cave?
•What are the forms of governance? 
•What brings about tyrants? 
•What is the noble lie?

Book Details
Introductory Author: Adam Kirsch
Translator:              Allan Bloom
Original Language: Ancient Greek
Translated Into:       English
Publisher:               Basic Books [Hachette Book Group]
Edition ISBN:         9780465094097
Pages to read:          449
Publication:             2016
1st Edition:              Circa 365 B.C.E.
Format:                    eBook 

Ratings out of 5:
Readability    2
Content          1
Overall          1