Reading Challenge. Week 2: Plato’s Republic
Plato’s Republic explores the question: Is it always better to be just than unjust? To answer this question the book takes on the form of a dialogue between Socrates and various members of the public who question the motivation behind just actions. They discuss what makes a good and thereby a just city and ask how we can define justice as a virtue of human being.
If people can be made to believe it, they will be strongly motivated to care for the city and for each other. Malcolm Schofield, 2007 [1]
In this week’s challenge, we are concentrating on a specific part of the book - Book 3. Book 3 discusses the place of Myth or a Noble lie in an ideal city and provides us with an example of the Myth of Metals. In the book, Socrates explains how a Myth or a Noble lie can create a just order within the city. Are Myths or Noble Lies necessary for achieving a just and good life? Can they be misused?
Resources:
PDF to Allan Bloom’s translation of the Republic: https://mvlindsey.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/allen-bloom-the-republic.pdf
Encyclopedia Overview (10 min read): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-ethics-politics
Encyclopedia Overview: https://iep.utm.edu/republic/#SH1c
Audiobook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqGsg01ycpk
BBC Radio 4 ‘In our time’ Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Plato’s Republic (49 mins): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08vwn6h
Julia Annas, An Introduction to Plato's Republic (Oxford University Press, 1998): https://historyofphilosophy.net/plato-republic-soul-political-philosophy
Join the crucial discussion, challenge your friends with the #WEDFReadingChallenge and get the chance to win a free WEDF Membership:
(1) Complete this week’s reading!
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[1] Malcolm Schofield
Edited by G. R. F. Ferrari, University of California, Berkeley
6 - The Noble Lie
The Cambridge Companion to Plato's Republic
Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2007