What is Book 1 of The Republic of Plato about?
What is Book 1 of The Republic of Plato about?
When Book I opens, Socrates is returning home from a religious festival with his young friend Glaucon, one of Plato’s brothers. On the road, the three travelers are waylaid by Adeimantus, another brother of Plato, and the young nobleman Polemarchus, who convinces them to take a detour to his house.
What is the central question of Republic Book 1?
The dialogue explores two central questions. The first question is “what is justice?” Socrates addresses this question both in terms of political communities and in terms of the individual person or soul.
Is the republic a hard book to read?
It’s going to be a challenge—it’s a challenge for everybody. Since the Republic is primarily a work of philosophy, there isn’t much of a conventional plot to move you along. All you have is the abstract thought-processes of Socrates to keep you on track.
What does Thrasymachus say that justice is in Book 1 of Republic and how does Socrates attempt to refute him?
Thrasymachus says that a ruler cannot make mistakes. Thrasymachus’ argument is that might makes right. But Socrates rebuts this argument by demonstrating that, as a ruler, the ruler’s chief interest ought to be the interests of his subjects, just as a physician’s interest ought to be the welfare of his patient.
Is the Republic good for beginners?
Definitely not. It would be too difficult, and would also produce misunderstandings about Plato that would take years to overcome.
What exactly does Thrasymachus mean by the stronger?
Thrasymachus was simply saying that, in making laws, the rulers kept or promoted their advantage – and that obeying laws was part and parcel of justice.
What exactly does Thrasymachus mean by the stronger in other words who is he referring to?)?
Kerferd holds this view because he envisions Thrasymachus as trying to give an account of justice that will take into account the ruler and the ruled in society. According to Kerferd, the ruler is the stronger “other” in the society who lays down laws specifically for the interest of exploiting the ruled.
What can we learn from Plato’s Republic?
Plato’s Republic aims to teach us that justice, in itself, is worthwhile, and that it is better to be just than unjust. It is better to be just than unjust for the just person avoids a life of misery, and the just person lives a happy life.
