Plato's Republic
Ancient justice dialogue
Plato's Republic is a foundational work of Western philosophy, written as a dialogue in which Socrates and others debate the nature of justice and the ideal state.
The work introduces the allegory of the cave, the philosopher-king, and the tripartite soul.
References to the Republic in intellectual discourse typically invoke questions about governance, truth, and the good life: It's like something out of Plato's Republic.
- allegory of the caveParable about mistaking illusions for reality
- cave dwellersThose residing in caverns
- divided lineInterrupted road marking
- ideal stateBest possible arrangement
- SocratesAncient Athenian questioning philosopher
justice · philosopher-king · virtue · soul · guardians · noble lie · tyranny · forms · Academy · oligarchy · dialectic · epistemology · utopia · Athens · dialogues · ethics · democracy · truth
- utopiasUtopia, ideal society, paradise, Eden, golden age
Plato's RepublicThe Communist Manifesto
Socialist political program document
realpolitik · anarchism · libertarianism · power politics · Athenian democracy
Plato's Republicmaterialism
Prioritizing goods over spirit
nominalism · scientific method · Epicureanism · pragmatism · sensationalism
Plato's Republichistorical account
Record of past events
ethnography · chronicle · case study · journalism · memoir