Understanding Plato's Republic

UNDERSTANDING PLATO’S REPUBLIC......Page 6
Contents......Page 10
Preface......Page 14
1 Introduction: The Style, Main Argument, and Basic Ideas of the Republic......Page 16
1 The Dialogue Style and the Characters......Page 17
2 The Main Argument and Plot of the Republic......Page 20
3 The Fundamental Ideas of the Republic......Page 23
2 Is Justice the Interest of the Rulers? Is It Good for Us? The Challenge of Thrasymachus......Page 30
1 Why does Thrasymachus Think that Justice is the Interest of the Rulers?......Page 31
2 Socrates’ Refutations of Thrasymachus’ Premises......Page 34
3 Is [the] Justice [of Thrasymachus] Good for Me?......Page 39
4 Thrasymachus Unconvinced, Socrates Dissatisfied. What Has Gone Wrong?......Page 46
1 What is Justice? Glaucon’s Theory of a Social Contract......Page 51
2 Glaucon and Thrasymachus on what Justice is: Results and Methods......Page 56
3 Why should I be Just?......Page 59
1 What is Justice? Socrates Divides the Question......Page 70
2 What is a Just Society? The Problem of Justice, and How Socrates Tries to Solve It......Page 74
3 The Functional Theory of Good and Virtue......Page 78
4 Plato’s Defi nitions of Justice and the other Virtues of his Completely Good City......Page 82
5 Return to Plato’s Methods for Discovering Justice......Page 86
5 Plato’s Ideal of a Just and Good Person......Page 91
1 The Analogy between a Just City and a Just Soul......Page 92
2 Plato’s Analysis of the Human Psyche......Page 94
3 Parts of the Human Psyche: Faculties or Agents?......Page 96
4 Just, Temperate, Brave, and Wise Human Souls......Page 104
5 Plato’s Ideal of Rationality......Page 108
6 The Virtues and Vices of the City-soul Analogy......Page 115
1 The Blindfold of Justice......Page 122
2 Does Plato’s Justice wear a Blindfold?......Page 124
3 The Gender Blindfold of Plato’s Justice......Page 125
4 Was Plato an Advocate of Women’s Rights? Was He a Feminist?......Page 129
1 Ideals as Standards and their Approximations......Page 135
2 The Paradox of the Philosopher-king: Knowledge and Political Power......Page 137
3 Knowledge and Opinions......Page 139
4 Platonic Forms and Physical Particulars......Page 142
5 Plato’s Theory of the Form of the Good......Page 152
6 Knowledge of Good......Page 158
7 How Elitist is Plato’s Completely Good City?......Page 161
8 Plato’s Criticisms of Democracy and the Democratic Character......Page 173
1 Political Equalities and Economic Inequalities......Page 174
2 Platonic Knowledge and Democratic Ruling......Page 180
3 Plato’s Criticisms of Democratic Freedoms......Page 185
4 Plato’s Democratic Character: Freedom and Equality in the Human Psyche......Page 189
5 Plato’s Criticisms of his Democratic Character......Page 192
9 Plato’s Defense of his Social and Psychic Justice......Page 202
1 Is Plato’s Social Justice Justice at all?......Page 204
2 Is Plato’s Political Justice Better for me than the Justice of Thrasymachus or the Justice of Plato’s Brothers?......Page 207
3 Is Plato’s Political Justice Good for All the Citizens?......Page 209
4 Plato’s Defense of his Just Person: The Sachs Problem......Page 217
5 The Defense of Justice as the Health of the Soul......Page 223
6 The Defense of the Just Life as the Pleasantest......Page 227
Bibliography......Page 235
Index......Page 242