Id suggest you guys to read this, It has a quite an interesting meaning.

http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.3.ii.html

Its about Justice, Are people just because they want to be? Or do people show justice because they know if they dont there are consequences?


I read it in my philosophy course a while ago, and I must say it is quite mind-boggling.

I am glad you read it.

The Republic is the pioneering book on Politics.A classic by Plato.It is in a dialogue style.A method which was used originally by his peer socrates who sacrificed life for truth but dint compromise with the state which had threatned him either to stop propagating his ideas or take poison. I read it during my specialisation.Zakir Husain - the ex president of India [originally Pashtun] translated it in Urdu/Hindi.

The preface written by him is worth reading.He says that the book is not about what is justice or state or polity but an endeavour to answer the ethical question how to be good.
He continued to uphold the idea of his teacher that virtue is knowledge and built the edifice of his Idealism on that.Would write in depth over it when i get time.Its my favourite subject.

Admin Khan ,highly appreciated effort,I will read it again over the weekend.James mate welcome to the Virtue is knowledge club.

I am surprised they have it translated into several languages, It is quite an interesting read with my many different ways of comprehending. The political one is quite fascinating cause it is indeed true.



For those lazy people ===>http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy...section2.rhtml

Admin

I had read the whole book more than 10 years ago.The links which are here have a less philosophical commentary but still good.

It's good that at the end of the dialogue Socrates confinced everyone that justice is the best thing that one can do, because the just people will be rewarded in the after-life, even if people look down on them in this life. It's interesting that even those pagan philosphers like Plato, Socrates and Aristotle believed in a kind of after-life, like us muslims.

I think The Republic is a good book for entertainment. I hate the fact tha Plato suggests you have lie to people and make them believe they are made out of gold, silver and iron.

He suggests the world should be like an Indian society of different casts.

Overall, I believe Plato was inspired by Hindus.

The idea that there are people who think and use their brain (philosopher king) people who follow their emotions such as pride etc that comes from the chest (auxiliaries) and people who follow their desires thus, underbelly (common people) is very similar to Hinduism.

Thats why I dont like Republic. I prefer Aristotle instead. Aristotle ripped Plato's ideas into pieces in his book, Politics. I think Aristotle did a much better job.