Penguin Classics Republic: Amazon.ca: Plato, Desmond Lee: Books

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First Sentence
I went down yesterday to the Piraeus with Glaucon, son of Ariston. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews

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4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
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Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great book, mediocre translation., Oct 2 1997

By A Customer

Ce commentaire est de: Penguin Classics Republic (Paperback)

Sir Desmond Lee's second edition of this, the translation of Plato's Republic, misses the mark it seeks to strike. By using too much contemporary (for the 1970's) English, we lose the feel for what Plato was actually trying to say. This translation would have read much better had it followed the original text more faithfully. This, though, is one of the pitfalls of writing for Penguin: if it's a translated work, it better sound modern--no matter that it was written two millenia ago.

But The Republic itself? Stunningly simple. Beautifully wrought. Criticized as a bone thrown to totalitarianism, this work still remains the core of all modern political, social and philosophical thought. Most powerful is the opening Book, where Socrates definitively refutes the common herd's definition of justice. The masterful reasoning he employs to demolish Thrasymachus's argument that justice is that which is in the interest of the stronger party will enlighten as well as refresh: might does not make right, then or now. The later Books pack comparatively less punch, but nonetheless will give any thoughtful person plenty to sink his teeth into. The philosophical section on the Line, the Sun and the Cave cannot be understood without supplemental reading, as they form an integral part of Plato's theory of Forms, an idea he never fleshed out concretely in any one tract. Modern philosophy departments have consigned this book to the trash heap, to which the objective reader can only say this: If The Republic is trash, then our own generation's literary legacy looks bleak indeed.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goodness, for which the Republic stands., Aug 23 2002

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Lance Kirby (Portsmouth, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

Ce commentaire est de: Penguin Classics Republic (Paperback)

Though by the look of it Plato's masterwork appears daunting I devoured it from the start. Though his idea's about government may seem to many beyong the pale Plato knew very well that his ideal government was just that, an ideal. Even if you don't agree with him (and I do) he will start you on a train of thought to a higher plain.

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5.0 out of 5 stars amazing. a must read for everyone, Feb 28 2004

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"chezewizrd" (herndon, VA) - See all my reviews

Ce commentaire est de: Penguin Classics Republic (Paperback)

Just read it. Plato's idea shaped so many other's after him. If you don't understand what Plato was trying to say then you're doing yourself a disservice. Just in readin this, the reader realyl begins to think. You'll get better at thinking by the time the book is done, for this book teaches the reader how to think. All the ideas are presented in dialog, but if you can just look at what is being said you'll begin to understand. If you only read one thing, make it be this.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A thorough view of 400 B.C. Greece
Here one can found Plato's view on many topics important to philosophical thinking of all times, but which could be summarized by the search of the true meanings of the adjectives... Lisez davantage

Published on Mar 19 2003 by Roberto P. De Ferraz

4.0 out of 5 stars Philosophy's wellspring of questions.
It has been said that all philosophic work of the past 2400 years stands as footnotes to Plato's writings. 'Do the ends justify the means? What is justice? Whom does it serve? Lisez davantage

Published on July 24 2002 by Wesley L. Janssen