Why Read Plato's "Republic"? | Robin Waterfield

Robin Waterfield, editor of the Oxford World's Classics edition of Plato's "Republic", tells us why we should bother reading it.
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Пікірлер: 34

  • @bernardoxbm
    @bernardoxbm9 жыл бұрын

    best book ever!

  • @benallan1752
    @benallan17527 жыл бұрын

    omfg. such an affirmation. first reason, it's readable or beautiful. I sometimes feel alone but today I don't feel wrong. republic and the brothers Karamazov are the two most beautiful books that I've ever read. both caused me to walk out weeping

  • @modeepa
    @modeepa11 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this video. I would just like to add that in addition to being readable, it is also a worthy reading because Plato made a genuine attempt to examine by ways of posing hypotheticals and questioning rationales that were contemporary of his time for which we can understand the context.

  • @markwiygul6356
    @markwiygul63566 жыл бұрын

    Read Plato's "The Apology" first, which is an easy read, very interesting and SHORT... then maybe try The Republic.

  • @romannoodle7005
    @romannoodle70056 жыл бұрын

    One of my favorite books! I highly recommend it to anyone interested or curious in philosophy.

  • @p3tr0114
    @p3tr01146 жыл бұрын

    Lesson learned from Plato's Republic: just get slave boy to agree with you.

  • @Steerpike07
    @Steerpike0712 жыл бұрын

    Wow. I better go read it again now. This guy is excellent.

  • @Davemac1116
    @Davemac11168 жыл бұрын

    Robin. I read again just recently your translation. (Oxford University Press, 1993). I was struck by your remarks in the Introduction summarising Plato's view: that we align ourselves to the rationally ordered Universe, kosmos ('elegant order'); be decent and moral, help our neighbours, and hence ourselves. The opposite: chaos, evil. I like this idea of somehow orientating oneself to the Universe, in harmony with the flow rather than against it. And this idea which you brought out chimes very much these days (albeit badly stated and hopelessly ambiguous) in New Age metaphysics. I see it as more fundamental. I like that interpretation you offered. It somehow intuitively has a ring of authenticity. Perhaps as we learn more of the cosmos, how everything is interconnected, Plato may be more accurate in ways he couldn't have guessed.

  • @MeLexdy
    @MeLexdy8 жыл бұрын

    Ok I ll give it a try.. I dont like high brow philosophy, I want to understand what I read and I dont feel the need to brag about the things I read

  • @kalixta
    @kalixta7 жыл бұрын

    very good voice!

  • @johnwentz2149
    @johnwentz21496 жыл бұрын

    That, and it's important piece to understand the development of totalitarianism.

  • @MAminGental
    @MAminGental10 жыл бұрын

    Thanks

  • @Allanrpsx
    @Allanrpsx11 жыл бұрын

    I'll give that a shot. Maybe I just haven't got far enough into it, but i find myself putting down the book after no more than an hour or two just painfully annoyed at how Plato treats the issues. Socrates is my least favorite character in the book...

  • @Meph552
    @Meph55212 жыл бұрын

    It is never right to do wrong.

  • @appleintheeye1
    @appleintheeye110 жыл бұрын

    Hurrah!

  • @grumpyoldman8661
    @grumpyoldman86617 жыл бұрын

    After reading "The Republic" (Waterfield's translation) go on to read (as an antidote) Karl Popper's first volume of his "The Open Society and it's Enemies" where he designates Plato as one of the earliest advocates for the totalitarian state. (UK)

  • @JzCrIPtO
    @JzCrIPtO6 жыл бұрын

    Why should we bother to be good? Because Eudaimonia!

  • @gorgolyt
    @gorgolyt11 жыл бұрын

    That sounds like a rather black and white way of saying "I am right".

  • @Tetsu239
    @Tetsu23911 жыл бұрын

    poisoning the well

  • @garundip.mcgrundy8311
    @garundip.mcgrundy83117 жыл бұрын

    This guy is a brick layer from Montgomery, Alabama, he's reading a script and faking a British accent! His name is Cy Altoni. His family heritage is Italian. Ask anyone in downtown Montgomery. I know this guy, he is an absolute fake!

  • @contacttaimur

    @contacttaimur

    7 жыл бұрын

    Does that matter?

  • @garundip.mcgrundy8311

    @garundip.mcgrundy8311

    7 жыл бұрын

    In a world of talent and merit, yes it matters. Does false news matter? Not if you're a Marxist-- the end justifies the means. It's o.k. to fool the public. There is no such thing as truth, justification by appeal to truth, or the long journey to truth. Yea, this is Marxist America... all full of rainbow colors.

  • @JayZondi-cd8jj

    @JayZondi-cd8jj

    7 жыл бұрын

    hey grundy mcgrundy, no offense but i'd like to kick your ugly face

  • @garundip.mcgrundy8311

    @garundip.mcgrundy8311

    7 жыл бұрын

    I'm not ugly! My mom says that I'm the best-looking young man in the 9th grade. Plus, I have already skipped a year. Can you say the same of yourself?

  • @reachforacreech

    @reachforacreech

    7 жыл бұрын

    where does it say in Marxist text that there is no suck thing as truth or any of the other things you stated?