Understanding Plato's Republic

1 Introduction: The Style, Main Argument, and Basic Ideas of the Republic.

1 The Dialogue Style and the Characters.

2 The Main Argument and Plot of the Republic.

3 The Fundamental Ideas of the Republic.

2 Is Justice the Interest of the Rulers? Is It Good for Us? The Challenge of Thrasymachus.

1 Why does Thrasymachus Think that Justice is the Interest of the Rulers?

2 Socrates' Refutations of Thrasymachus’ Premises.

3 Is [the] Justice [of Thrasymachus] Good for Me?

4 Thrasymachus Unconvinced, Socrates Dissatisfied. What Has Gone Wrong?

3 Justice by Agreement. Is It Good Enough? The Challenge of Plato's Brothers.

1 What is Justice? Glaucon’s Theory of a Social Contract.

2 Glaucon and Thrasymachus on what Justice is: Results and Methods.

3 Why should I be Just?

4 What is a Just Society? Plato's own Social Ideal.

1 What is Justice? Socrates Divides the Question.

2 What is a Just Society? The Problem of Justice, and How Socrates Tries to Solve It.

3 The Functional Theory of Good and Virtue.

4 Plato's Definitions of Justice and the other Virtues of his Completely Good City.

5 Return to Plato's Methods for Discovering Justice.

5 Plato's Ideal of a Just and Good Person.

1 The Analogy between a Just City and a Just Soul.

2 Plato's Analysis of the Human Psyche.

3 Parts of the Human Psyche: Faculties or Agents?

4 Just, Temperate, Brave, and Wise Human Souls.

5 Plato's Ideal of Rationality.

6 The Virtues and Vices of the City-soul Analogy.

6 The Equality of Women: Plato's Blindfold.

1 The Blindfold of Justice.

2 Does Plato's Justice wear a Blindfold?

3 The Gender Blindfold of Plato’s Justice.

4 Was Plato an Advocate of Women’s Rights? Was He a Feminist?

7 Knowledge and Governing Well: Opinions and Knowledge, Forms and the Good.

1 Ideals as Standards and their Approximations.

2 The Paradox of the Philosopher-king: Knowledge and Political Power.

3 Knowledge and Opinions.

4 Platonic Forms and Physical Particulars.

5 Plato's Theory of the Form of the Good.

6 Knowledge of Good.

7 How Elitist is Plato's Completely Good City?

8 Plato's Criticisms of Democracy and the Democratic Character.

1 Political Equalities and Economic Inequalities.

2 Platonic Knowledge and Democratic Ruling.

3 Plato's Criticisms of Democratic Freedoms.

4 Plato's Democratic Character: Freedom and Equality in the Human Psyche.

5 Plato's Criticisms of his Democratic Character.

9 Plato's Defense of his Social and Psychic Justice.

1 Is Plato's Social Justice Justice at all?

2 Is Plato's Political Justice Better for me than the Justice of Thrasymachus or the Justice of Plato's Brothers?

3 Is Plato's Political Justice Good for All the Citizens?

4 Plato's Defense of his Just Person: The Sachs Problem.

5 The Defense of Justice as the Health of the Soul.

6 The Defense of the Just Life as the Pleasantest.

Bibliography.

Index.