Plato's Republic

(4 Credits)

In order to demonstrate justice, Plato has Socrates build the ideal city in words, the Kallipolis (“Beautiful City”). For philosophers, Classicists and political theorists, Plato’s Republic incites readings, re-readings, debate and controversy: is Plato the greatest political idealist? The first totalitarian? Is Plato a feminist? In this course, we will analyze the dialogue’s arguments, analogies and imagery and interrogate Platonic metaphysics, aesthetics and theory of politics as they are presented in the dialogue. Supplemental readings will include modern and contemporary interpretations and will address: intellectual milieu, historical and political context, questions of genre.