Philosophy Series - The Republic (Books 1 & 7) by Plato

No past philosophical experience necessary

What makes a just person — and a just society?

In Books 1 and 7 of Plato’s Republic, we’ll explore some of philosophy’s most enduring questions, from Socrates’ challenges to conventional ideas of justice to the famous Allegory of the Cave and what it means to truly see the world clearly.

Whether you’ve read Plato before or are coming fresh to the text, join us for a lively discussion on power, truth, education, and the difficult path from opinion to understanding.

Descriptions:

Book 1:
What begins as a casual conversation quickly turns into a sharp debate about justice, power, and morality. Socrates challenges everyone from wealthy elders to aggressive political thinkers, asking whether justice is truly good — or just a tool used by the strong.

Book 7:
Featuring Plato’s famous Allegory of the Cave, Book 7 explores ignorance, education, and the struggle to see reality clearly. Why do people resist uncomfortable truths? What responsibility comes with knowledge? This book asks readers to consider what it means to wake up from illusion — and whether society even wants that to happen.

What to Read:

Books 1 and 7 of the Republic by Plato (any translation - approximately 80 pages in total)

PDF of text: (internet archive)

https://ia802802.us.archive.org/20/items/PlatoTheRepublicCambridgeTomGriffith/Plato%20The%20Republic%20(Cambridge%2C%20Tom%20Griffith).pdf

When & Where:

🗓️ Date: May 30th

🕐 Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

📍Location: Room L6 North (690)

Future Philosophers and their works to do (I’ll ask your opinions):

Aristotle - The Nichomachean Ethics
Plato - Other Dialogues
Friedrich Nietzsche - Beyond Good & Evil
Friedrich Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Friedrich Nietzsche- The Birth of Tragedy
Spinoza - Ethics
Jean Paul Sartre- Existentialism is a humanism
Simone de Beauvoir - The Ethics of Ambiguity
Against Interpretation by Susan Sontag
All about Love by bell hooks