The Republic

By: Plato

Narrated by: James Langton

What is at stake is far from insignificant: it is how one should live one's life. Plato's The Republic is widely acknowledged as the cornerstone of Western philosophy. Presented in the form of a dialogue between Socrates and three different interlocutors, it is an inquiry into the notion of a perfect community and the ideal individual within it. During the conversation, other questions are raised: What is goodness? What is reality? What is knowledge? The Republic also addresses the purpose of education and the roles of both women and men as "guardians" of the people. With remarkable lucidity and deft use of allegory, Plato arrives at a depiction of a state bound by harmony and ruled by "philosopher kings."

©1923 Public Domain (P)2010 Tantor

Langton - great job despite a daunting work!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd recommend it to anyone; only it is an exceedingly challenging read. I'm listening along with some of The Great Courses to help me understand all the subtleties.

What other book might you compare The Republic to and why?

"Thus Spoke Zarathustra" - in terms of challenge.

Which character – as performed by James Langton – was your favorite?

Langton has done a great job over Socrates' opponents, distinguishing them very nicely, often mockingly, from the main speaker.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Of course not. It's supposed to stimulate your brain to reason.

Any additional comments?

Do not buy this on its own! Start thinking about additional lectures. You won't get it right away.

Must be interested to enjoy.

Not sure what I expected going into this book, but it is easy to lose interest, as the book is written as a dialogue (the synopses even said so) however, the topics discussed are thought provoking and the performance excellent. Definitely a worth while book.

Surprice

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

contains some pretty good ideas

Who was your favorite character and why?

no character

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I did not like that one was doing all the talking while the other just said yes, aha and agreed. Am I suppose to think that everyone was stupid and only Socrates (Plato) new the answers and then they just agreed to everything? I expected more

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but it gave some good ideas and truth.

expanding of the mind and of the soul.

If it were not for this recording i would have not gotten to this experience for another decade or so.

Very Good!

Coming into the audiobook, one already knows it's a classic. However, the questions remains, does the narrator bring it to life. Well, the answer is yes. The narrator plays an excellent Socrates, and during the dialogues changes voices to include the other characters. I like it very much.