Plato: 'The Republic' (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

A vivid and accurate new rendition of Plato's classic work of political thought. Library Journal Griffith's answer to the question Why another translation of The Republic? is that most current translations do not follow the form of a conversation, which Griffith feels the dialog is intended to convey. His aim was to translate the Greek text as if it were a conversation, and he has succeeded admirably. The text does indeed flow like a conversation, with the entire back-and-forth interaction that such exchanges involve. A comparison of his renderings of Books I, VII (the allegory of the cave), and VIII (the discussion of the four forms of unjust regimes) with the same passages in the second edition of Allan Bloom's translation of The Republic (Basic Bks., 1991) shows that Griffith's translation is, on the whole, much smoother and in that sense a more comfortable read. Consider, for example, the first sentence in Book VII. Bloom's translation reads: `Next, then,' I said, `make an image of our nature in its education and want of education, likening it to a condition of the following kind.' Here is Griffith's translation: `If we're thinking about the effect of educationDor the lack of it on our nature, there's another comparison we can make.' Griffith's smoother style suggests that this new translation may find a greater audience than others have. Griffith has also written a very useful introduction that places the work in historical context and provides a glossary that will help readers identify individuals and places mentioned in the work. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.DTerry Skeats, Bishop's Univ. Lib., Lennoxville, Quebec Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information. The Republic is Plato's most famous work and one of the seminal texts of Western philosophy and politics. The characters in this Socratic dialogue - including Socrates himself - discuss whether the just or unjust man is happier. They are the philosopher-kings of imagined cities and they also discuss the nature of philosophy and the soul among other things. Contents Translator's Preface Editor's Preface Introduction A Guide to Further Reading Principal Dates Editor's Synopsis of the Republic The Republic Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Book 4 Book 5 Book 6 Book 7 Book 8 Book 9 Book 10 Glossary Index Presents the most important of the Socratic dialogues as if it were a conversation; deals with the creation of an ideal commonwealth and ranks as one of the earliest Utopian works. I went down to the Piraeus yesterday with Glaucon the son of Ariston, to offer a prayer to the goddess.