The Republic

What started out as a continued effort to bone up on the classics turned into a labor of...well, something. Overall, I found “The Republic” to be interesting and, in some ways, surprisingly relevant to today. Of course, the book is an ancient Greek text, so there were many aspects that have not aged well. That said, this one should still remain on the to-read lists for those with a desire to be well-read.

I'll focus on the positive in this review. Plato called for a certain authenticity throughout the text, and I found that interesting as an aspect of the ideal State. Put differently, the State functions most effectively when there is a congruence between education, training, and (ultimately) skill. In the latter books, Plato distinguishes between the creator, the user, and the imitator, and while there is honor in being a creator or user, he shows disdain for the imitators. I am a lover of poetry, so I'll admit my own disappointment at seeing the poet cast out of the State, but with that aside, I understand Plato's skepticism of imitation.

I vividly remember the introduction to a high school literature lesson on the Allegory of the Cave, and I was glad to find it in “The Republic.” (I admit not remembering this text as its source, just as I admit not remembering the rest of the lesson nearly as vividly as the introduction.) In that lesson, the teacher asked us to sketch how we interpret the scene. As I read the passage, I couldn't help but Google the allegory, and while my teenage sketches were different than what I found, I see the similarities between my interpretation and those on many websites. What stands out as most salient to my adult self is the notion that those in the cave come to learn what they are shown. Who determines the shape of the shadows? A derivative of that question should be on all of our minds in today's world. Whose shadows am I being fed? How do I know I trust those shadows?

Plato's advocation for a lifelong pursuit of knowledge was noteworthy. Calling on a person to immerse themselves fully in this pursuit, even as the focus of those pursuits evolves as one ages, was aspirational. Of course, modern day readers would question the content of that learning - i.e., the pursuit of philosophy for the purpose of legislation - but the spirit was there all the same.

I stated I'd focus on the positive, and so I did. However, no review of “The Republic” would be complete without at least acknowledging its issues.
- The text assumes a level of communitarian with which modern readers would likely be uncomfortable. A complete relinquishment of one's children, spouse, property, etc. can hardly be considered ideal by today's standards.
- The suggestion of eliminating those children which would not likely thrive is (and probably was) abhorrent.
- The detail as to the training and lifestyle of the warriors is noteworthy, but what of the husbandmen?
- The complete alignment of the individual and the State, such that the philosophical constructs are nearly one in the same would yield a level of homogeneity that would be, at best, unproductive and, at worst, genocidal.

Again, I maintain that “The Republic” is a worthy read, both for its lofty ideals as well as the cautions about which it warns us.