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Title: Plato: Republic
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Manufacturer: Hackett Publishing Company
List Price: $8.95
Our Price: $3.88
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| Customer Reviews: |
| Plato: Republic by Hackett Publishing Company The Rhetoric |
Most people know this book by title, not by content. I must admit reading this book is not for the faint at heart. Rhetorics will be thrown in your face as if it is common language and some sense of historical background on the Greeks may help as well.
But this shouldn't hold you back from reading this classic piece, all 450 pages of it. It is not so much the result of all thinking, but the process of thinking itself which makes this a great book. Known as one of the greatest Greek philosiphers of all-time you can get a taste of his way of thinking and the time he was living in.
If you have any interest in history and philosophy you'll love this book. |
| Plato: Republic by Hackett Publishing Company A classic approach.... |
This review is of ISBN-10: 0-87220-136-8, Plato * Republic, translated by G.M.A. Grube and revised by C.D.C. Reeve.
I somehow made it through high school and college learning about Plato and Socrates without reading any full-length works. That's changing this spring as I'm taking a discussion-based class on Plato's Republic. This text was recommended by our instructor, and I can see why. The translation is not cumbersome by striving for sheer literalness, but instead seeks to capture the flavor of the discussions Socrates had with others that Plato as a youth observed.
Footnotes are provided to explain the occasional word that has a different classical than contemporary meaning -- and yet you can read each of the 10 books (chapters) that comprise this volume first without attending to the footnotes, then re-reading the books along with their footnotes.
After having seen what gifted vs. pedestrian translations can do to the vigor and beauty of classic works (Beowulf, the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey come to mind), I can understand why Grube's translation is highly regarded. According to the scholar who performed the revision, no such work was called for until 20 years after publication (I am guessing to introduce more current English idiom and turn of phrase). The person who conducted the revision was encouraged to do so by the translator's family, which speaks to continuity.
Given its impact on Western philosophy and thought, the book may at first seem slender to you. Keep in mind that much of it is in the form of dialog -- presented for the most part without space-consuming "I said"s and "he said"s (clarity is kept by paragraph indents. The brief italicized introductions help ensure ready comprehension without spoonfeeding any philosophy.
The index and bibliography also are clear, well-presented and helpful. Note that the latter is toward the front of the book.
I applaud the price point; however, I think purchasers would have been better served by paying a buck more for better-quality paper stock. This is a book that cries out to be kept on one's bookshelf well past the completion of a particular class or a once-over reading. Unfortunately, the paper stock already suffers from read-through, even before being subjected to the pencil/pen jottings that many readers will be compelled to make. Those of you who use a highlighter, I'd advise to try with caution because the paper seems pretty absorbent.
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| Plato: Republic by Hackett Publishing Company The Republic Should Be Required Reading For All Students |
This is my absolute favorite non religious text.
"The Republic" should be required reading for all students in western society before high school graduation. To understand western society and all things or anything political past the days of barbarians and cave persons this book is the foundation. This book teaches the structure of western civilization, organization of government and definitively answers the question as to why borders must be respected, governments must be organized, the rule of law must be respected and why we must have a strong military force if we wish to live above the standards of barbarians. Without these standards and rules a civilized existence would be impossible because there would be no protection from those w/o a moral code.
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| Plato: Republic by Hackett Publishing Company I like it. But... |
| Immanuel Kant critiques for pure practical reason is still my favorite! Does anyone know any other good sites for Christmas shopping?... |
| Plato: Republic by Hackett Publishing Company Classic Discourse on the Polity |
| Plato sets up a fascinating, and in some ways scary, argument for a utopian society run by the "philosophy kings" or the head intellectuals. For someone interested in theories of the "good society," this is a must along with Hobbes' Leviathan, Rousseau's Social Contract, Marx's German Ideology, and Huxley's The Island. |
| Plato: Republic by Hackett Publishing Company Product Description |
| This is a completely new translation of one of the great works of Western political thought. In addition to Tom Griffith's vivid, dignified and accurate rendition of Plato's text, this edition is suitable for students at all levels. It contains an introduction that assesses the cultural background to the Republic, its place within political philosophy, and its general argument; succinct notes in the text; an analytical summary of content; a full glossary of proper names; a chronology of important events; and a guide to further reading. |
