Publications List:
THE GROWING MIND |
Plato's Republic 9 & 10
Plato's Republic 9 & 10
The concluding books of Plato's Republic reveal the entire dialogue in a new perspective. In Book Nine, the nature and goodness of the soul and its true relationship to public life are considered. Socrates returns to Glaucon's earlier challenge to justify the claim that a just life is superior to an unjust life. He does that by showing the life of tyrants compared to a life devoted to the love of wisdom. In Book Ten, the role of poetry and the other arts are examined and placed in the overall context of the best human life. The dialogue concludes with the Myth of Er, a story about a warrior who is killed in battle, travels to another world, and returns to tell a wonderful tale about the meaning of life and death.
Audio Samples:
Quote:
"To avoid the charge of being too harsh or provincial, we should say that the quarrel between poetry and philosophy is an ancient one. Let us announce that if poetry of any kind can justify her existence in a well-ordered republic, we would be delighted to admit her. We have always been conscious of her pleasure and charm, but we have a sacred obligation to the truth."