"The argument is not just about any question, but about the way one should live" (Plato, Republic, 352d).
This semester we will read and discuss what is perhaps the most famous work of philosophy ever written, Plato's Republic, which like all of Plato's works is a dialogue or drama. This comprehensive book, though written by an ancient Athenian, treats questions of concern to all thoughtful human beings. These questions include:
· What is justice, and why should I be just?
· Is "justice", on closer inspection, merely the self-interest of the ruling class?
· What considerations should determine the conduct of war and the education of soldiers?
· Should harmful or "politically incorrect" religious teachings, poetry, art, and music be censored?
· Should property be private or held in common?
· Should men and women have the same education and perform the same political and military functions?
· Is the best way of life active or contemplative?
Classes will typically consist of a mixture of lecture and discussion, as well as oral presentations by students on the assigned readings.
Please note: This is a very demanding course. Although no prior experience in philosophy is required, we will be tackling a difficult text. In order to succeed, you must be willing to read each assignment carefully and at least twice. You must be diligent, tenacious, and eager to decipher complex arguments that may be baffling at first glance. And this is only the beginning, for you must then attempt to understand the relation between the arguments and the characters who make them, or in other words between the arguments and the drama of the dialogue. You must combine close textual analysis and rigorous logic with literary sensitivity and common sense.