The Republic / Plato

Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction -- Further reading -- Note on the Translation -- Translator's Acknowledgements -- Part 1: Introduction -- Part 2: Perliminaries -- Part 3: Education: The first stage -- Part 4: Guardians and auxiliaries -- Part 5: Justice in state and inidividual -- Part 6: Women and the family -- Part 7: The philosopher ruler -- Part 8: Education of the philosopher -- Part 9: Imperfect societies -- Part 10: Theory of art -- Part 11: The Immorality of the soul and the rewards of goodness -- Appendix 1: The philosophical passages in the republic -- Appendix 2: The spindle of necessity.

"In this monumental work of moral and political philosophy, Plato sought to answer some of the world's most formidable questions: What does it mean to be good? What enables us to distinguish between right and wrong? How should human virtues be translated into a just society? Perhaps the greatest single treatise written on political philosophy, The Republic has strongly influenced Western thought concerning questions of justice, rule, obedience, and the good life. This work is also undoubtedly the best introduction to Plato's philosophy in general. Not only does it contain his ideas on the state and man, but also his famous theory of forms, his theory of knowledge, and his views on the role of music and poetry in society."