Plato: The Republic

Translator: Desmond Lee
Publisher: Penguin Books, 1987
Condition: Softcover, slight foxing on cover and edges, yellowed pages with slight foxing
The classic translation of the cornerstone work of western philosophy, Plato's Republic is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential works in the history of philosophy. Presented in the form of a dialogue between Socrates and three different interlocutors, it is an inquiry into the notion of a perfect community and the ideal individual within it. During the conversation other questions are raised: what is goodness; what is reality; what is knowledge; what is the purpose of education? With remarkable lucidity and deft use of allegory, Plato arrives at a depiction of a state bound by harmony and ruled by 'philosopher kings'.