Plato's Republic

By: The Great Courses, David Roochnik

Narrated by: Professor David Roochnik Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

More than 2,000 years later, Plato's Republic remains astonishingly relevant to our everyday lives. It poses one question after another that might well have been drawn from the headlines and debates of our nation's recent history: What sort of person should rule the state? Are all citizens equal before the law? Should everyone have equal access to health care? Plato's greater inquiry, however, was into the question of defining justice itself and the reasons why a person would choose a life aligned with that virtue.

These 24 remarkable lectures lead you through the brilliant dialogue Plato crafted both to define and examine the issues with which political philosophy still grapples.

Chapter by chapter, Professor Roochnik introduces you to Plato's literary recasting of his own great teacher, Socrates, and the dialogue through which Socrates and the Republic's other characters create the hypothetical ideal city. It is by dissecting life in this presumably just city - the "Republic" of Plato's title - that the nature of justice itself can be examined.

Many of Plato's ideas will startle contemporary readers, who may recognize in them the foreshadowing of some of humankind's darkest moments. Indeed, some have called the Republic the "great-great-grandfather of all totalitarian experiments." You'll wrestle with Plato's controversial vision, and you'll be surprised just how contemporary these arguments sound.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great Courses

Excellent - Enjoyed the nararator

Where does Plato's Republic rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The best of the 5 that I listened to so far

What other book might you compare Plato's Republic to and why?

I am a novice, can't help you much

What about Professor David Roochnik’s performance did you like?

He was knowlegable yet modest and to the point, objective, not darmatic

Any additional comments?

I have always heard references to The Republic. The actual text is much different than what I expected. I tried reading old texts in the past. It does not work for me. I need the lecture to put it in context, to have the words defined as to what they meant at the time of the writing. This was well done.

Loved it!!!

Where does Plato's Republic rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of my favorite of the " Great Courses " . Dr. Roochnik was a pleasure to listen and made Plato current for the listener! I hated to have the course end. Please, more by this most talented professor!

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

Loved it, beginning to end!

Enjoyed this!

Good format for examining Plato's Republic. Enjoyed the many insights of Dr Roochnik that add context to my understanding. Easy to listen to and understand.

not a reading, but a great series of lectures

Great for gaining a professional's interpretation of a complex dialogue. There are so many facets to Plato's republic, most of which may never be understood by the average person with just simply reading. The narrator does a good job of noting when he is giving a personal opinion on meaning as well.

don't read the Republic before you read this!

I was tempted to read an actual translation of the Republic before I read an interpretation of it, but luckily decided to do it the other way around. I am yet to find a Great Courses piece that I did not find tremendously insightful and this one did not disappoint. I would have been (and I guess so would the average non Philosophy professor type reader) totally lost in Plato's Republic had it not been for the interpretation. The best part of Prof. Roochnik's style is how he preempts the reader's biases and interpretation of the various parts of the book, and carefully sets the scene for the reader not to jump to any conclusions too early. He clearly has lived through the Republic with many people many times and has the ability to guide the listener through the book masterfully.

I was totally overwhelmed by Plato - all my expectations were truly exceeded. Another great course of a timeless essential topic. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Great Overview of Plato's Republic

Easy to follow synopsis (broad synopsis) of Plato's Republic. I enjoyed how David challenged listeners to think for themselves in regards to the meaning of certain key aspects. Very well elaborated how certain parts of the dialogue tie into post-Republic era mindsets.

It's like a master class

This was a well explained, well narrated series of lectures on Plato's Republic. I'm sure I will return to listen to it again in the future.

Very detailed

loved the depth and detail of each chapter and explanation. I will definitely listen again!

Just great.

Great audiobook. He explains Plato in a way that's easy to understand and follow along.

Read Again

I’ll go read The Republic again. David Roochnik did really bring The Republic to life!!