Ancient Political Thought
Plato’s Republic
Overview
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I.
2.
3.
4.
Setting
Historical Background
Structure of the work
Cast of Characters
I. The Setting: Locale
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Locale: Pireaus
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Port of Athens, about 6 miles from city
Center of commerce – like NYC today – the usual
diversity and disorder associated with a trading
center
Center of the democratic party in Athens; i.e.,
those citizens who wanted popular control of the
political life of the city
I. The Setting: The Polis
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“The Republic” is the Latin translation of the Greek
“politeia.”
Politeia itself derives from the root “politiēs” or citizen
(“literally one who belongs to the city”)
Politiēs also gives us “polis” or city and is the root of
our modern understanding of “politics”
The word for statesman – “politikos” – means “one
who knows the things of the city.”
I. The Setting: The Polis
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Polis as city/state
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City is the fundamental political unit at the time,
indeed the fundamental social unit
Bit like the modern understanding of the state, but
with some technical differences
I. The Setting: The Politeia
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The Politeia or Republic is then:
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The class of citizens who rule the city
They influence and structure the basic way of life
of the city through their character and their
actions
Think of it as a “regime”
So the book describing the true or best
regime, is simply called “The Regime”
II.
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Historical Background
Date of Dialogue
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About 411 B.C.
In 404 B.C. (just after this dialogue) Piraeus
became the center of the democratic resistance
against the “Thirty Tyrants” who ruled Athens
II. Historical Background
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The Thirty Tyrants
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Athens loses the Peloponnesian War to Sparta
(431-404 B.C.E.) [more on that later]
In the wake of the defeat, the Thirty seize power
and rule Athens, backed by Spartan power and
street thugs
A number of the thirty were former students or
associates of Socrates, the central figure in the
Republic and all the Platonic dialogues
III. Structure of the Work: Plato
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The Republic is written by Plato
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(the name means “broad”)
Best guess on life is: 427-347 B.C.E
Came from upperclass Athenian family, was widely
expected to play active political role, but turned
instead to philosophy
He had two relatives (Charmides and Critias) who
were part of the Thirty Tyrant dictatorship
III. Structure of the Work: Plato
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Founded a school –
The Academy – for the
study of philosophy,
lasted until about 529
C.E.
III. Structure of the Work: Plato
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Plato wrote in a dialogue form
Amazingly, all of his writing seems to have
survived intact.
We have all 29 dialogues*
*35 were passed down from antiquity, but 6 have been rejected
as not genuine
IV. Cast of Characters: Socrates
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The central character in all of the Platonic dialogues
is Socrates
Lived from about 470 - 400 B.C.E.
Was executed by the Athenian people following his
conviction on charges of blasphemy and corrupting
the youth of Athens
Remember the Thirty Tyrants came to power in 404
B.C.E.
Democracy was restored in 403 B.C.E.
Cast of Characters: Plato’s Brothers
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2. Glaucon: son of Ariston
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b.
Ariston is Plato’s dad, so…
Glaucon is Plato’s brother and…
father of Charmides (30 tyrants)
3. Adeimantus
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Plato’s brother
Cast of Characters
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4.
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5.
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Cephalus:
A metic, meaning an alien (he was originally from Syracuse)
who was allowed to settle in Athens and who pays taxes,
but enjoyed no civil rights.
Has 3 sons who appear in the dialogue
Polemarchus,
son of Cephalus
active in the democratic resistance to the tyranny
will be executed by the Thirty Tyrants
Cast of Characters
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6. Lysias,
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son of Cephalus, brother of Polemarchus,
played a major role in the restoration of democracy
renowned for his oratory
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called “the ablest writer of his day” by Plato in the Phaedrus
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7. Euthydemus
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son of Cephalus, brother of Polemarchus
Cast of Characters
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8. Thrasymachus
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9. Cleitophon
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earned his living by teaching rhetoric
the art of political or legal persuasion
Title character in a short dialogue discussing the instruction
of virtue, where Plato contrasts the Socratic style with that
of Thrasymachus
10. Charmantides
Cast of Characters
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11. Niceratus
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son of Nicias,
Nicias was an Athenian general
elected as Co-Leader -- with Alcibiades -- of Athenian
assault on Syracuse during the Pelopennesian War, but …
Athens loses battle of Syracuse (Nicias sees eclipse, opts
not to attack)
this loss hastens Athens’ defeat in the Peloponnesian War,
which ushers in the 30 Tyrants
Cast of Characters: Alcibiades Aside
One of Soc’s “best and brightest” students, and a
renowned leader in democratic Athens
Not trusted by Athenians, though, which is why they
split the military command
Eventually he was called back to face charges of
desecrating religious shrines during a drunken spree
Cast of Characters: Alcibiades Aside
Opts not to go back and instead heads to
Sparta (middle of the war remember)
Was ambushed in a woman’s bed and
assassinated on orders from Critias, another
Socratic pupil and Plato relative, during the
reign of the Thirty Tyrants
Cast of Characters: Alcibiades Coda
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Eventually, Alcibiades shows up in the dialogue
“Laches” which discusses courage
He is shown not to “know” what it is
May act courageously, but doesn’t really know the
term.
Ends up with reputation, according to Xenophon, as
being one of “the most licentious, the most arrogant,
and the most violent” leaders of the democracy
V.
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The Drama
The dialogue takes place in the shadow of
the Thirty Tyrant’s rule
The action takes place just before they seize
power, but it is written just a few years after it
Note the host of party is murdered by the
Thirty
Glaucon’s Question
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“In what way does its [justice’s] very
possession benefit a man and injustice harm
him?”
-- The Republic, book II, 367d, p. 26