Republic

Republic is a Socratic dialogue concerning the definition of Justice, the order and character of the just city-state and the just man. Plato's Republic is often textbook required reading for courses in politics & social sciences, politics & government, political theory, philosophy, humanities, and Greek & Roman studies. Republic is Plato's best known work and it has proven to be one of the world's most influential works of philosophy and political theory, both intellectually and historically. In Republic, Socrates, along with various Athenians and foreigners discuss the meaning of justice and examine whether or not the just man is happier than the unjust man by considering a series of different cities coming into existence "in speech," culminating in a city called Kallipolis, which is ruled by philosopher-kings; and by examining the nature of existing regimes. The participants also discuss the theory of forms, the immortality of the soul, and the roles of the philosopher and of poetry in society. Plato was a philosopher in Classical Greece and the founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. He is widely considered the most pivotal figure in the development of philosophy, especially the Western tradition. Unlike nearly all of Plato's philosophical contemporaries, Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years. The works which are most often assigned to Plato's early years are all considered to be Socratic dialogues, written from 399 to 387. Plato's Middle dialogues were written from 387 to 361 and Plato's latter dialogues were written in the period between 361 and his death in 347.