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    How To Read Plato

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    Sharlize Agbayani
    The document provides guidance on how to approach reading Plato's Republic. It emphasizes that Plato's dialogues [1] are meant to provide insights into thinking rather than definitive answers, and may contain contradictions. [2] Readers should focus on understanding Plato's thought process rather than trying to determine a single "message". [3] Allegories like the Allegory of the Cave are meant to illustrate philosophical concepts rather than literal stories.

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    How To Read Plato

    Uploaded by

    Sharlize Agbayani
    25 views9 pages
    The document provides guidance on how to approach reading Plato's Republic. It emphasizes that Plato's dialogues [1] are meant to provide insights into thinking rather than definitive answers, and may contain contradictions. [2] Readers should focus on understanding Plato's thought process rather than trying to determine a single "message". [3] Allegories like the Allegory of the Cave are meant to illustrate philosophical concepts rather than literal stories.

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    How to Read Plato

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    The document provides guidance on how to approach reading Plato's Republic. It emphasizes that Plato's dialogues [1] are meant to provide insights into thinking rather than definitive answers, and may contain contradictions. [2] Readers should focus on understanding Plato's thought process rather than trying to determine a single "message". [3] Allegories like the Allegory of the Cave are meant to illustrate philosophical concepts rather than literal stories.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    25 views9 pages

    How To Read Plato

    Uploaded by

    Sharlize Agbayani
    The document provides guidance on how to approach reading Plato's Republic. It emphasizes that Plato's dialogues [1] are meant to provide insights into thinking rather than definitive answers, and may contain contradictions. [2] Readers should focus on understanding Plato's thought process rather than trying to determine a single "message". [3] Allegories like the Allegory of the Cave are meant to illustrate philosophical concepts rather than literal stories.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 9

    HOW TO READ (AND

    HOPEFULLY UNDERSTAND)
    PLATO’S REPUBLIC

    PSC1103
    Plato is an ancient Greek
    Philosopher, a student of Socrates.

    INTRODUCTION: Is it better to read about Plato


    HOW SHOULD WE than reading what Plato wrote?
    APPROACH PLATO?

    The Republic is not a book or a


    novel, it is a collection of dialogues.
    Dialogues have different structures

    Dialogues do not necessarily provide


    answers, they provide insights on how to
    think
    FIR ST RULE: ‘H OW TO
    T H I N K , R AT H E R T H A N
    W H AT TO T H INK’
    Plato would often provide
    contradictions

    DO not try to figure out the “message”


    of Plato, learn and understand how he
    thinks.
    ALLEGORY
    OF THE CAVE

    Is Plato saying that people


    are really in a cave???
    ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE

    • Two men are in cave. The cave is dark. The only thing they see is the shadow of
    a reflection caused by a fire in the cave.
    • The shadows constantly change.
    • Since the men only see shadows, they perceive the shadows to be reality.
    • Prisoners can escape and find themselves in a world that is more “real”.
    • The prisoner that has escaped could return to the cave and let others know
    about the outside world, but he is blinded because he is not accustomed to
    the sun.
    WHAT IS OUR
    INTERPRETATION HERE?
    PLATO’S THE REPUBLIC

    Ten “Books” that Plato suggested


    Justice for Plato:
    discussed the social divisions:
    if everyone does
    best city-state or Guardians;
    their role
    polis Soldiers; Workers
    DANGERS OF INTERPRETATION: HOW
    TO ACHIEVE THIS “JUSTICE”?

    • The enlightened Guardians will selectively breed men and women to produce the “best”
    of the race.
    • The best of the soldiers will get to sleep with the most beautiful women and lotteries will
    be rigged so that those below will not think they have a chance to be with those who
    have better status in society.
    • Babies will be taken from their mothers to be determined which class they belong and
    trained for their roles.
    • Babies with defects will be “thrown away” (in secret)
    • No one will know their families. Everyone is either their brother or sister.
    WHAT IS JUSTICE?

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