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Summary: good translation of the timeless elitist classic....
Review: ....which I read with both admiration at the questions Plato asks and revulsion at his answers. He is in some ways the philosophical father of elitist tyrannies and the originator of the argument that the masses ought to be hoodwinked for their own good.
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Summary: ITS A MUST-HAVE
Review: if u wanna get in2 philosophy. firstly, u have 2 read REPUBLIC. its a must-have book. plxxx stop comparing which translation would b the best, becos we cant even know if the entire republic was written by plato. as i finished both penguins n oxfords. i still prefer 2 read penguins.
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Summary: Great Edition
Review: Aside from this edition I have also read a couple other translations, and this one is definitely the best one. you will also find the introduction to be very helpful in understanding the sometimes obscure Platonic philosophy.
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Summary: A fairly good edition.
Review: Firstly I should say that this is not the best translation of the republic. Even though the book is great in itself, the translator have changed the structure of the book by dividing it in 12 books instead of 10. However, the main pro of the book are short paragraphs inside the text which help to understand the ideas of Plato. Also I don't like that the notes are after the text. I think it is better when they are on the same page as the text they refer to.
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Summary: an eye-opening introduction to perfect society
Review: Considered as the most famous philosophy book of all times, it indeed is a true masterpiece. However, readers are not to be mistaken by Plato`s ideal but drastic measures to strenghen and protect the polis, since every era has its means and ways.Besides, the allegory of the cave remains the best philosophical metaphore ever, as every single day some people embody those who only see the shadows;this is especially true when you are a foreigner.
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Summary: Required reading
Review: An excellent look at the positives and (many) negatives associated with an elitist dictatorial society. Ironically, while many argue that Plato was calling for just such a utopia, a strong argument can be made that Plato was in fact pointing out the weakenesses with just such a creation. Plato's allegory of the cave is, perhaps, the most eye opening part of the text.
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Summary: A Must
Review: Entertaining, intellectually stimulating, a classic. Anyone who is intersted in philosophy must read this book. From the natural ethic to the ideal state, this book has it all. It is the counter-ideal to Nietzsche's Zarathustra (also a five-star must-read). This should be issued to every child at birth.
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Summary: A Necessity
Review: I would force children to read this.Plato presents, in the form of an exteremly onesided dialogue, some of the greatest ideas ever. Plato's Republic may seem opressive; but, he accomplished what he desired, the just state for all. The ideas presented here have lasted longer than an certain anthology of texts which is the foundation for the largest group of usurpers in the world, and I would hope that Plato's ideas outlast these others. They will. Two and a half millenia have tested Plato and Co., and they a have survived. The material here is not inaccessible; indeed, it is well written. However, do *not* purchase this translation. Desmond Lee's translation, printed by Penguin, is far more readable. Trust me here. For those of you who need a bit more excitement than the voyeuristic pleasure presented, it should be noted that Socrates, the princible speaker, and the respondents, happen to make frequent bad puns and jokes, as well as sexual comments, so this isn't for childre- no, wait, there are about three pages total in four hundred dealing with sex. And Socrates likes little boys. This is superb. Anyone who never reads from it is missing a piece to the whole.
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Summary: A gallant, but blindly flawed attempt at sound philosophy
Review: In this work of Plato, the author greatly strives to define justice. He tries to put forth what would be a perfect society. The problem with Plato is that he left Jehovah, the true God, out of his philosophy. Jehovah is the center of everything, and without Him, there is no truth. Since Plato rejected belief in the true God, and whole, intact truth is only found in that true God, Plato's philosophy is understandably flawed. Of course, as THE REPUBLIC is a popularly recongnized classic, one may find it useful to read it, in order to understand the viewpoint of the masses who accept it, provided one compares it with the truth of God's word, the Bible.
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Summary: The brilliant beginning of all philosophy
Review: Plato's Republic is unquestionably the origin of philosophical lines of thought which are still undoubtedly relevant today. Written in dialogue form (i.e. like a discussion between many characters), the main exponent of the argument is Socrates, Plato's friend and mentor who was executed by the Athenian government - an event which led Plato to effectively denounce democracy as an impractical system. The Republic is the result of this denouncement: beginning with the philosophical question 'What is justice?', it proceeds to lay out the nature of the ideal state. Along the way, we are given Plato's legandary Theory of Forms, including the fantastically simple Simile of the Cave - a brilliant philosophical exposition of the difference between this world and the 'proper', 'real' world of which Earth is only a shadow. Desmond Lee's translation makes the very best of a particularly tricky task, and compromises on several key passages with effective authority. The main problem for the modern layman is in getting used to the Socratic form of argument in textual form - seeing Glaucon and Adeimantus answering with "Yes", "I agree" and "That's quite right" for 350-odd pages will drive anybody a little crazy after a while! That (very minor) nitpick aside, there are two excellent appendices regarding the philosophical passages in the text, plus a detailed bibliography for those who wish to follow up on the book. And it's worth it, believe you me.
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