When did Plato write The Republic?
Plato wrote The Republic around 375 BC during the middle period of his dialogues. Scholars like Leonard Brandwood have used various methodologies to place this text firmly in that era.
Questions about Republic (Plato)
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is the setting of The Republic by Plato?
Socrates visits Piraeus, the port of Athens, where he meets Cephalus and Polemarchus. The setting coincides roughly with the Peloponnesian War, though specific dates between 432 and 404 remain debated by historians.
How does Plato define justice in The Republic?
Justice exists when each part of the soul attends to its own function rather than another's. One cannot be just without possessing wisdom, courage, and temperance together.
What are the four stages of government described in The Republic?
Aristocracy degenerates into timocracy when governing miscalculations produce inferior successors inclined toward wealth accumulation. Timocrats apply great effort to gymnastics and war arts while valuing honor above all else. Oligarchy replaces this system as wealth dominates and the rich become the ruling class. Democracy follows when the poor majority overthrow the wealthy minority through mob rule fueled by fear.
Who criticized Plato's work on ideal cities after him?
Aristotle systematized many of Plato's analyses in his Politics while criticizing propositions regarding ideal cities. Zeno of Citium wrote Zeno's Republic in opposition to Plato's work despite later Stoics viewing it with embarrassment.