Plato's Republic

  This week we jump in to Plato's Republic and we will start to see the theories we read about in Five Dialogues put in to action. This is Plato's presentation of how he thinks a State should be run: his vision for modes of governance, social organizations, ideas about Justice, and a ton more. There is a lot going on in the text here so let's pay attention to the details and really see what Plato is suggesting. Let's get in to the weeds a little bit: After the conversations about which approach to justice is the best, Socrates shifts the focus of the conversation from talking about individuals to talking about the State. Why does he make this rhetorical move? (remember, he's making a broader argument here. What picture is he painting for you, the reader?) According to Socrates, why does the State (government) come in to existence? What is its purpose/what does it do? Recall last week’s assignment about class structure and human nature. Building on this, what does Socrates see as the best way to organize human labor? What is his argument supporting this position? Do you consider his argument sound?