Plato

Plato's Republic Plato (427-347 BCE) lived during a time when Athens was being deeply questioned. The Peloponnesian War shattered the pride of that city-state; democracy and oligarchy alternated in power, and the hearts of citizens were caught in confusion. The Republic was born from the mind of a young thinker shaped by the heat of that turbulent era. Yet the deeper fire within this work was something else - the death of his teacher. Socrates, the most righteous man in Plato's life, was made to drink poison by the will of the people. That moment burned within Plato as a question: What form of government is truly capable of embodying justice? It was in search of an answer to that question that The Republic was written. Composed in the fourth century BCE, this work is not a constitutional blueprint; it is a philosophical dialogue that weaves together justice, the soul, education, governance, beauty, and truth - each linked to the other. Socrates appears as both questioner and respondent, and in every exchange a new layer of truth unfolds. More than providing answers, the dialogue offers the experience of questions becoming clearer. After completing this work, Plato founded the Academy - one of the earliest institutions of higher learning in world history, a house of knowledge that endured for nearly nine centuries. There, philosophy was life; here, in this text, philosophy becomes language. To read The Republic is not merely to read a classic - it is to recognize that questions posed twenty-four centuries ago are still waiting for answers today.

Plato’s Seventh Letter is one of the most important and controversial documents of ancient philosophy, particularly in terms of its epistemology and social and political context. James Redfield’s study of the letter includes a beautiful new translation of the text, an incisive Introduction, and a full commentary along with relevant chapters of Plutarch’s Life of Dion.

This handsome collector's edition presents Plato's classic philosophical work, The Republic, featuring gold cover embossing and gilded page-edges. The Republic is one of the earliest political treatises ever written and Plato's most remarkable work. Through a fictional dialogue with Socrates, Plato examines the nature of justice, the character of the city-state, and what it means to be a just man. Plato argued that power corrupts and the only way to protect against this was through the rule of philosopher kings. In The Republic he also grapples with the questions of our senses and reality through the famous 'Allegory of the Cave'. The Republic is highly accessible yet filled with fascinating depths for students of philosophy. It shows us the vision of an ideal society and what we can do as individuals to help create it. This beautiful pocket-sized gift edition contains the classic, unabridged translation by renowned Oxford classicist, Benjamin Jowett, presented with a gold embossed cover design, ivory pages, beautifully designed endpapers and gold gilded page edges. Part of the Arcturus Ornate Classics series, this book makes wonderful gift for any lover of classic philosophy. ABOUT THE SERIES: Arcturus Ornate Classics are beautifully bound editions of iconic literary works across history. These compact, foil-embossed hardbacks are printed using deluxe ivory paper and make the perfect gift.

'The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways - I to die, and you to live. Which is better God only knows.' Socrates is one of the great figures of Western history and the founding father of its philosophical tradition. In the Dialogues, by his pupil and fellow philosopher Plato, a fascinating portrait emerges of a man who spurned material wealth and believed above all in learning and inquiry. Apology, Crito and Phaedo recount Socrates' trial on charges of 'corrupting the youth' of Athens, his defiance of the court, and his last days in jail passed in discussion with friends. They form an excellent introduction to a courageous and captivating figure who paid with his life for the right to free thought. This edition contains an introduction by Dr Emma Woolerton and the text of the acclaimed translation by classicist Benjamin Jowett.