The Republic of Plato

Here, in its complete and unabridged form, is The Republic of Plato, the dialogue that asked the question at the heart of every civilization: what is justice, and why should we live justly? Across ten books, Socrates and his companions follow that question wherever it leads—through the education of guardians, the allegories of the Sun, the Line, and the Cave, the critique of democracy and tyranny, and the stirring myth of Er. This edition preserves the full original text without cuts or abridgement, and surrounds it with a new introduction and reader's notes that illuminate the historical context of ancient Athens, the structure of the argument, and why these pages still unsettle and inspire readers more than two millennia after they were written. Whether you are encountering Plato for the first time or returning to an old companion, you will find here a conversation worth joining. Part of The Founding Texts Library.