Cornford, Hildebrandt and Voegelin subdivisions

Structure

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Three interpretations of the Republic are presented; they are not exhaustive in their treatments of the work, but are examples of contemporary interpretation."

Bertrand Russell

In his A History of Western Philosophy (1945), Bertrand Russell identifies three parts to the Republic:^[6]

1. Books I–V: the eutopia portraying the ideal community and the education of the Guardians, parting from attempting to define justice;
2. Books VI–VII: define “philosopher”, since philosophers are the ideal rulers of such a community;
3. Books VIII–X: discuss the pros and cons of various practical forms of government.

The core of the second part is discussed in the Allegory of the Cave, and articles related to the Theory of (ideal) forms. The third part concerns the Five regimes and is strongly related to The Laws dialogue; and the Myth of Er.

Cornford, Hildebrandt and Voegelin subdivisions

Francis Cornford, Kurt Hildebrandt, and Eric Voegelin contributed to an establishment of sub-divisions marked with special formulae in Greek:

Prologue

I.1. 327a—328b. Descent to the Piraeus

I.2—I.5. 328b—331d. Cephalus. Justice of the Older Generation

I.6—1.9. 331e—336a. Polemarchus. Justice of the Middle Generation

I.10—1.24. 336b—354c. Thrasymachus. Justice of the Sophist

Introduction

II.1—II.10. 357a—369b. The Question: Is Justice better than Injustice?

Part I: Genesis and Order of the Polis

II.11—II.16. 369b—376e. Genesis of the Polis

II.16—III.18. 376e—412b. Education of the Guardians

III.19—IV.5. 412b—427c. Constitution of the Polis

IV.6—IV.19. 427c—445e. Justice in the Polis

Part II: Embodiment of the Idea

V.1—V.16. 449a—471c. Somatic Unit of Polis and Hellenes

V.17—VI.14. 471c—502c. Rule of the Philosophers

VI.19—VII.5. 502c—521c. The Idea of the Agathon

VII.6—VII.18. 521c—541b. Education of the Philosophers

Part III: Decline of the Polis

VIII.1—VIII.5. 543a—550c. Timocracy

VIII.6—VIII.9. 550c—555b. Oligarchy

VIII.10—VIII.13. 555b—562a. Democracy

VIII.14—IX.3. 562a—576b. Tyranny

Conclusion

IX.4—IX.13. 576b—592b Answer: Justice is Better than Injustice.

Epilogue

X.1—X.8. 595a—608b. Rejection of Mimetic Art

X.9—X.11. 608c—612a. Immortality of the Soul

X.12. 612a—613e. Rewards of Justice in Life

X.13—X.16. 613e—621d. Judgment of the Dead

The paradigm of the city — the idea of the Good, the Agathon — has manifold historical embodiments, undertaken by those who have seen the Agathon, and are ordered via the vision. The centre piece of the Republic, Part II, numbers 2–3, discusses the rule of the philosopher, and the vision of the Agathon with the allegory of the cave, which is clarified in the theory of forms. The centre piece is preceded and followed by the discussion of the means that will secure a well-ordered polis (City). Part II, no. 1, concerns marriage, the community of people and goods for the Guardians, and the restraints on warfare among the Hellenes. It describes a partially communistic polis. Part II, no. 4, deals with the philosophical education of the rulers who will preserve the order and character of the city-state.

In Part II, the Embodiment of the Idea, is preceded by the establishment of the economic and social orders of a polis (Part I), followed by an analysis (Part III) of the decline the order must traverse. The three parts compose the main body of the dialogues, with their discussions of the “paradigm”, its embodiment, its genesis, and its decline.

The Introduction and the Conclusion are the frame for the body of the Republic. The discussion of right order is occasioned by the questions: “Is Justice better than Injustice?” and “Will an Unjust man fare better than a Just man?” The introductory question is balanced by the concluding answer: “Justice is preferable to Injustice”. In turn, the foregoing are framed with the Prologue (Book I) and the Epilogue (Book X). The prologue is a short dialogue about the common public doxai (opinions) about “Justice”. Based upon faith, and not reason, the Epilogue describes the new arts and the immortality of the soul.

Leo Strauss

P. Oxy. 3679, manuscript from the 3rd century

Leo Strauss identified a four-part structure to the Republic, perceiving the dialogues as a drama enacted by particular characters, each with a particular perspective and level of intellect:

1. Book I: Socrates is forcefully compelled to the house of Cephalus. Three definitions of justice are presented, all are found lacking.
2. Books II–V: Glaucon and Adeimantus challenge Socrates to prove: Why a perfectly just man, perceived by the world as an unjust man, would be happier than the perfectly unjust man who hides his injustice and is perceived by the world as a just man? Their challenge begins and propels the dialogues; in answering the challenge, of the “charge,” Socrates reveals his behavior with the young men of Athens, whom he later was convicted of corrupting. Because Glaucon and Adeimantus presume a definition of “Justice,” Socrates digresses; he compels the group’s attempt to discover justice, and then answers the question posed to him about the intrinsic value of the just life.
3. Books V–VI: The “Just City in Speech” is built from the earlier books, and concerns three critiques of the city. Leo Strauss reported that his student Allan Bloom identified them as: communism, communism of wives and children, and the rule of philosophers. The “Just City in Speech” stands or falls by these complications.
4. Books VII–X: Socrates has “escaped” his captors, having momentarily convinced them that the just man is the happy man, by reinforcing their prejudices. He presents a rationale for political decay, and concludes by recounting The Myth of Er (“everyman”), consolation for non-philosophers who fear death.

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Date: 2016-01-05; view: 962