Review: The Republic

The Republic by Plato
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have come now to The Republic for at least the third time. Each time, my reaction is as much about my age and where I am at in life at the time. The first time, as a teen, it was all very heavy and I was self-satisfied to be considering with Plato’s’ Socrates such weighty issues. Later, in my 20s and considering myself progressive I thought Plato a crypto-fascist and him an unreconstructed fraud. Now, in my 40s, my feelings are more nuanced. Just as my changing eyesight makes me look closer at things close to me. The minor tragedy I see in Cephalus jumps out. Cephalus, son of Lysanias from Syracuse (5th century BCE), a wealthy elderly arms manufacturer living in Athens engages in dialogue with Socrates here at his home outside the city. He was the father of another dialogue participant, Polemarchus. There is Cephalus who drew in the young men for a night of conversation with his chairs arranged.
For Socrates, Polemarchus's father Cephalus is an old friend. The two begin a conversation about the pros and cons of being old. As they continue to chat, their topic gradually shifts from old age to the idea of justice, and that's something that gets everyone's attention. Cephalus seems glad of the company and just wants to talk, but I feel he gets disrespected in his own home and it begins to dawn on him the barbs from Socrates aren’t worth his time. Cephalus bows out at this point, and his son Polemarchus starts debating with Socrates about the nature of justice. They start talking about: 1) what justice really means, and 2) whether justice is actually a good and useful thing to have in the real world. Word. Socrates is just as methodical and a bit condescending to Polemarchus, but Polemarchus seems more tolerant of the young philosopher.

As for fascism, Plato is definitely down on a pure expressive arts movement, but also argues strenuously through Socrates for a greater role of women in civic and military affairs. So, it not just one way. So, Plato would have been fine in principle with Hillary Rodham Clinton running to be our "guardian" and his plans for state child-rearing is beyond the paternalism of It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us to the dystopic Brave New World.

It is hard not to read this and reflect on current and recent events – whenever I read it. Robert Bowdrie "Bowe" Bergdahl is a United States Army soldier who was held captive by the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network in Afghanistan and Pakistan from June 2009 until his release in May 2014. The circumstances under which Bergdahl went missing and how he was captured by the Taliban have since become subjects of intense media scrutiny. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump said in October 2015 that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl should have been executed for leaving his post in Afghanistan. Platos says, “Cowards and deserters shall be degraded to the class of husbandmen; gentlemen who allow themselves to be taken prisoners, may be presented to the enemy.” Not that Plato would care a whit for Trump’s opionions. As a businessman and untrained in philosophy, he would not make for a ruler in Plato’s mind. Indeed, “And when persons who are unworthy of education approach philosophy…what sort of ideas and opinions are likely to be generated? Will they not be sophisms captivating to the ear, having nothing in them genuine, or worthy of or akin to true wisdom?”

I can see how Socrates’ disputations could have gotten him in trouble. By disagreeing with myths and heroes he would raise the ire of conservatives. Personally, I would like an abridged version that dispensed with the numerology and some of the mythology and just retained the kernel of essaying the role and makeup of government.

The Republic contains Plato's Allegory of the cave, but there is much more here. As a math teach, I wholly agree with his view on the value of a mathematical education: “I must add how charming the science of arithmetic is! and in how many ways it is a subtle and useful tool to achieve our purposes, if pursued in the spirit of a philosopher, and not of a shopkeeper!'

'How do you mean?', he asked.

'I mean, as I was saying, that arithmetic has a very great and elevating effect, compelling the mind to reason about abstract number,…

'And here is another point, that those who have a natural talent for calculation are generally quick at every other kind of knowledge; and even the slow-witted if they have had an arithmetical training, although they may derive no other advantage from it, always become much quicker than they would otherwise have been.'

'Very true,' he said.

'And indeed, you will not easily find a more difficult study, which come harder to those who learn and practice it.'

'You will not.'

'And, for all these reasons, arithmetic is a kind of knowledge in which the brightest citizens should be trained, and which must not be given up.'

'I agree.'

Also, this edition has excellent, engaging narration!

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