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Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece
A rare biographical portrait of the philosopher Plato, showing how the ideas in his masterwork, Republic, were tested amid a bloody civil war.
Many people know something of Plato’s works, yet few are familiar with his life outside of his writings. In Plato and the Tyrant, acclaimed classicist James Romm uses a little-known set of Plato’s personal letters to introduce the man behind the ethereal image, and to explore the formation of his most famous work, Republic. In the second half of his life, an already famous Plato involved himself in the affairs of the two Dionysii, a father and son who ruled Syracuse, at that time the greatest power in the Greek world. Plato’s interventions in the violent contest between Dionysius the Younger and his brother-in-law, Dion—with whom Plato may have had a long love affair—were the backdrop and perhaps the motivation for his masterwork. In a thrilling narrative, Romm captures how Plato’s experiment in enlightened autocracy spiraled into catastrophe and gives us a new account of the origins of Western political philosophy.
Many people know something of Plato’s works, yet few are familiar with his life outside of his writings. In Plato and the Tyrant, acclaimed classicist James Romm uses a little-known set of Plato’s personal letters to introduce the man behind the ethereal image, and to explore the formation of his most famous work, Republic. In the second half of his life, an already famous Plato involved himself in the affairs of the two Dionysii, a father and son who ruled Syracuse, at that time the greatest power in the Greek world. Plato’s interventions in the violent contest between Dionysius the Younger and his brother-in-law, Dion—with whom Plato may have had a long love affair—were the backdrop and perhaps the motivation for his masterwork. In a thrilling narrative, Romm captures how Plato’s experiment in enlightened autocracy spiraled into catastrophe and gives us a new account of the origins of Western political philosophy.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published May 13, 2025
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June 1, 2025
Romm brilliantly illuminates the three fateful journeys Plato made to Syracuse between 388-353 BCE, where the philosopher's abstract ideals collided catastrophically with the volatile realities of tyrannical power. The book structures these visits as five dramatic acts, revealing how Plato's theoretical work emerged from his dangerous entanglements with the tyrants Dionysius I and II, and his complex relationship with Dion, the would-be philosopher-king.
Particularly striking is Romm's portrayal of Plato's first encounter with the elder Dionysius, where the philosopher witnessed the tyrant's legendary extravagance firsthand. As Plato later wrote in his Seventh Letter: "When I arrived, the life there repelled me—what they call the happy life, filled with Italian and Syracusan feasts, living twice a day to satiety... From these practices, absolutely nobody under heaven could become wise."
The middle section forms the intellectual core of Romm's account, where philosophical ambition tangles with political machination. Romm reveals how Plato's second journey initiated the ill-fated attempt to transform the younger Dionysius into a philosopher-king—a project doomed by the ruler's capricious nature and surrounded by what Plato derisively called "Dionysioflatterers."
The philosopher found himself essentially a captive in a gilded prison, writing that he felt trapped by "adamantine bonds" of obligation. Dion's influence waxed and waned perilously during this period, with Plato noting: "While I was sailing away, Dionysius was already plotting against Dion... sending him into exile on a small boat, claiming it was not exile but a change of residence."
The educational program for Dionysius II included mathematics and dialectic—essential preparation for philosophical enlightenment—but the tyrant's attention quickly wavered.
Most chilling was the night raid described by Romm where Dionysius dispatched mercenaries to Plato's quarters to "test" his loyalty, an episode exemplifying how rapidly philosophical discourse could devolve into life-threatening danger.
Romm skillfully employs sources and academic scholarship to reconstruct a Plato whose ideals were forged in political fire, whose Republic emerged partly as response to tyrannical governance experienced firsthand.
The final Syracusan episode culminated in Dion's brief, violent revolution and subsequent assassination—events that left Plato shattered but wiser about the practical implementation of philosophical governance.
As the elderly Plato remarked with tragic acceptance: "Perhaps someday someone will write worthy accounts of these events, and by their very nature they will cure the reader of the diseases I suffered."
This elegant work offers profound insights on the eternal tension between intellectual purity and political engagement. Romm's scholarship echoes through millennia to our present moment, where philosophers and intellectuals still grapple with the fundamental question haunting Plato: how might wisdom truly influence power without becoming corrupted by it?
Particularly striking is Romm's portrayal of Plato's first encounter with the elder Dionysius, where the philosopher witnessed the tyrant's legendary extravagance firsthand. As Plato later wrote in his Seventh Letter: "When I arrived, the life there repelled me—what they call the happy life, filled with Italian and Syracusan feasts, living twice a day to satiety... From these practices, absolutely nobody under heaven could become wise."
The middle section forms the intellectual core of Romm's account, where philosophical ambition tangles with political machination. Romm reveals how Plato's second journey initiated the ill-fated attempt to transform the younger Dionysius into a philosopher-king—a project doomed by the ruler's capricious nature and surrounded by what Plato derisively called "Dionysioflatterers."
The philosopher found himself essentially a captive in a gilded prison, writing that he felt trapped by "adamantine bonds" of obligation. Dion's influence waxed and waned perilously during this period, with Plato noting: "While I was sailing away, Dionysius was already plotting against Dion... sending him into exile on a small boat, claiming it was not exile but a change of residence."
The educational program for Dionysius II included mathematics and dialectic—essential preparation for philosophical enlightenment—but the tyrant's attention quickly wavered.
Most chilling was the night raid described by Romm where Dionysius dispatched mercenaries to Plato's quarters to "test" his loyalty, an episode exemplifying how rapidly philosophical discourse could devolve into life-threatening danger.
Romm skillfully employs sources and academic scholarship to reconstruct a Plato whose ideals were forged in political fire, whose Republic emerged partly as response to tyrannical governance experienced firsthand.
The final Syracusan episode culminated in Dion's brief, violent revolution and subsequent assassination—events that left Plato shattered but wiser about the practical implementation of philosophical governance.
As the elderly Plato remarked with tragic acceptance: "Perhaps someday someone will write worthy accounts of these events, and by their very nature they will cure the reader of the diseases I suffered."
This elegant work offers profound insights on the eternal tension between intellectual purity and political engagement. Romm's scholarship echoes through millennia to our present moment, where philosophers and intellectuals still grapple with the fundamental question haunting Plato: how might wisdom truly influence power without becoming corrupted by it?
December 17, 2025
Another fine work of ancient history from James Romm.
In Plato and the Tyrant, Romm tells a fascinating—and at times unsettling—story about the uneasy relationship between philosophy and power. Rather than presenting Plato as a remote, ivory-tower thinker, Romm places him squarely in the brutal political reality of 4th-century BCE Sicily, where Plato’s ideals collided head-on with the ambitions of tyrants like Dionysius of Syracuse.
What I appreciated most is Romm’s narrative approach. This is not The Republic in abstract form; it’s philosophy tested in the real world. This book reads like a political thriller. Plato believed that a ruler guided by reason and virtue could bring about a just society—but Sicily proved to be a harsh laboratory for those ideas. Romm shows how Plato’s repeated attempts to influence tyrants ended in frustration, exile, and disillusionment. It’s a reminder that wisdom and power rarely mix easily, a lesson that still feels painfully relevant today.
As someone who enjoys both ancient history and philosophy, I found this book especially rewarding. Romm writes clearly and concisely, weaving biography, political history, and philosophical reflection into a tight narrative. I also appreciated how this book complements more theoretical works like The Republic or modern biographies of Plato by scholars such as Waterfield. This is Plato “in action,” and the results are messy, human, and illuminating.
If I have a small reservation, it’s that readers looking for deep philosophical analysis may find this more historical than theoretical. But that’s also its strength: Romm shows us what happens when big ideas leave the page and enter the world of real politics.
Overall, Plato and the Tyrant is a thoughtful, engaging exploration of the limits of philosophy, the dangers of power, and the enduring question of whether ideas alone can change human behavior. A strong recommendation for readers interested in ancient Greece, political thought, and the timeless tension between ideals and reality.
In Plato and the Tyrant, Romm tells a fascinating—and at times unsettling—story about the uneasy relationship between philosophy and power. Rather than presenting Plato as a remote, ivory-tower thinker, Romm places him squarely in the brutal political reality of 4th-century BCE Sicily, where Plato’s ideals collided head-on with the ambitions of tyrants like Dionysius of Syracuse.
What I appreciated most is Romm’s narrative approach. This is not The Republic in abstract form; it’s philosophy tested in the real world. This book reads like a political thriller. Plato believed that a ruler guided by reason and virtue could bring about a just society—but Sicily proved to be a harsh laboratory for those ideas. Romm shows how Plato’s repeated attempts to influence tyrants ended in frustration, exile, and disillusionment. It’s a reminder that wisdom and power rarely mix easily, a lesson that still feels painfully relevant today.
As someone who enjoys both ancient history and philosophy, I found this book especially rewarding. Romm writes clearly and concisely, weaving biography, political history, and philosophical reflection into a tight narrative. I also appreciated how this book complements more theoretical works like The Republic or modern biographies of Plato by scholars such as Waterfield. This is Plato “in action,” and the results are messy, human, and illuminating.
If I have a small reservation, it’s that readers looking for deep philosophical analysis may find this more historical than theoretical. But that’s also its strength: Romm shows us what happens when big ideas leave the page and enter the world of real politics.
Overall, Plato and the Tyrant is a thoughtful, engaging exploration of the limits of philosophy, the dangers of power, and the enduring question of whether ideas alone can change human behavior. A strong recommendation for readers interested in ancient Greece, political thought, and the timeless tension between ideals and reality.
August 6, 2025
One of the best things I’ve read about Plato, tyranny, and practical philosophy in a long time! Romm, who has written a biography of Seneca and has translated plenty of Greek and Latin authors, here takes the reader on an in-depth tour of ancient political philosophy by way of the famous “Syracusean project” that Plato embarked on in order to put to practice some of his ideas about how to run a country. The characters of the story, including two tyrants of ancient Syracuse (father and son), Dion (a student and friend of Plato), and plenty of others represent a multifaceted study on human nature, naiveté, and frailty. There is no absolutely good guy in this tale, but also no absolute bad guy, because this is about real life, not Hollywood fantasies (I seriously hope nobody will ever make a Gladiator-type movie out of it!). Plato himself comes across as both well intentioned and duplicitous, courageous and yet somewhat Machiavellian. Along the way we learn a lot about his famous masterpiece, Republic, arguably the most influential philosophy book of the entire western tradition, but also about his last book, Laws, and how Plato’s philosophy was very much intricately connected with the practical involvement of several members of the Academy with the politics of the time, not only in Syracuse. An absolute must read for anyone interested in philosophy, politics, history, and the lure and dangers of tyranny.
March 8, 2026
Plato and The Trumpian Republic
The allure of authoritarianism is once again strong. Perhaps this is because it is the natural state of human governance with democracy and representative government being occasional exceptions. The current American moment represents a reversion to the mean because we are unable to break our romantic deference to strong leaders; this is the spell and the legacy of Plato and his Republic. People naturally fear uncertainty; they then become willing to trade freedom for security and look to a strongman for safety. Since there is always some level of uncertainty in human affairs, there will always be a bias in favor of political strongmen and tyrants. This is why we are currently experiencing a revision to the mean. Stability is promoted, and uncertainty tamed, by having true allies and loyal supporters while avoiding unreliable annexations and mere lackeys. The U.S. is doing the opposite by imposing strongman rule upon itself while ridding itself of true allies and purging loyal supporters.
Dionysius “the Elder” held power in Syracuse merely by exploiting the fears of the people, stoking their mistrust in traditional institutions, and purging the City of talent while promoting the corrupt and the incompetent as well as persuading the people to vote away their freedom. Trump has done all this plus he has weaponized the state against the people. If regimes correspond to personality types as Plato thought, what does it say about the character of the U.S. voters who elected Trump president twice? Trump simply is the true embodiment of many wretched American character traits which include arrogance, buffoonery, and thuggery to name just a few. In typical tyrannical fashion, as described by Plato, Trump precipitates external conflicts to keep his subjects distracted and dependent. The Trump regime combines an impressive mix of vanity on behalf of the leader with self-abasement of the part of the followers. I am writing this as the U.S. re-obliterates Iran, why do one obliteration when you can do two at three times the cost. It is better for domestic power to leave such conflicts unresolved for as long as possible, so the ‘threat’ posed by them is always available to enhance internal power.
Trump, the Ideal Platonic Leader
But Trump is in a way, the paradigm of a Platonic leader. In the dialogue ‘Stateman’, Plato defines statesmanship as the art that stands beyond the law. The idea is that the statesman instinctively knows what to do as ruler as long as ‘he or she’ has mastered the art of statesmanship. Any political leader will of course claim that they have mastered this art and are thus not bound by the law including extrajudicial murder, e.g., Trump. In circular logic fashion, becoming the leader is the proof that one has mastered the art of statesmanship. Having the acumen to obtain political power is proof that one is empowered to act beyond the law. From this mad logic, nothing but madness and rage follows as we can see in the current Americal political moment where crime begats crime.
The Platonic Contradictions
Political
Plato’s Republic is certainly a design for a nightmarish utopia, and it has had many admirers, enactors, and imitators since it was first written down with Plato being the first to try it out in ‘real life’ so to speak. At least in Plato’s case, he envisioned an enlightened philosopher-king but how Plato differentiated his philosopher-king (good) from a tyrant (bad) is unconvincing. One must first accept that a distinction can be made between a tyrant and a philosopher-king when absolute power and sole authority is invested in one person in both cases. I doubt this is possible. The fundamental contradiction in Plato is that the ruler must be bound the of law to be just, but at the same time the ruler is absolute with the authority to make the law as a statesman. Are these two distinct notions in one-person rule possible? But I have the advantage of 2,500 years of additional perspective. In our case, we have a stupid, bumbling, corrupt, criminal functioning as an authoritarian strongman rather than a philosopher-king but then again, there is no such thing as a philosopher-king and a goon like Trump represents the reality of authoritarian rule. Contra Plato, the exact wrong way to govern is with one’s head in the heavens. Contra Plato, philosophical learning and political leadership are incompatible. The result is that Plato creates a leadership class that prioritizes its own survival over everything else, e.g., Trump again. It thus cannibalizes itself and brings about the ruin Plato was trying to avert. It was not until the end of his career, perhaps based on his experience in Syracuse, in his final dialogue, ‘The Laws’, that Plato became more of a realist and turned his efforts to making better laws rather than better souls. But for Plato, this was only a second-best outcome.
Metaphysical
I think the political contradiction arises from the contradiction in Platonic metaphysics and Plato’s concept of “The Good”. By this I mean things in life can be good such as health, wealth, beauty, and strength but the “Good” as such does not exist as a singular thing or entity in an abstract world, completely whole and wholly complete as Plato imagines it and tells us to purse it. This was mocked at the time by ancient writers such as the comic playwright Philippides. Plato’s system of thought is essentially faith based and was thus enhanced and extended by Christianity, another faith-based system. Both require belief in vague higher planes of existence only accessible through study (Plato) or prayer (Christianity). For both, true reality exists outside of space and time, which is a contradiction. By definition, nothing exists outside of space and time. Again, contra Plato, it is these faith-based believers who are in the cave, it is they who fear and mistrust anyone who tells them that their faith is false. Ever try talking to a Christian fundamentalist? It is Plato’s ‘philosopher’ and the Christian believer who are seeing the abstract shadows on the wall in place of empirical reality. It is the non-faith-based people who need to fear violence, rejection, retribution and judgment from the faith-based believers, not the other way around as Plato believed. The current war in Iran is brought to us by faith-based belief, Christin Evangelicals, Jewish Zionists, and Muslim Fundamentalists. Imagine it, ancient religious beliefs as the casus belli for WWIII in the 21st century.
Epistemological
In terms of knowledge, Plato thought the only objects worthy of study were abstract, eternal and unchanging, i.e., no point in studying things that are decaying and changing as you are studying them. This notion is contrary to modern science. No practical advancement of learning or useful progress in knowledge is possible from studying abstract, eternal and unchanging things because these do not exist other than in the mind of the thinker. Plato advocated education based on the study of unchanging things when the reality in which we live is governed by change. For Plato, only unchanging things are knowable. It is no wonder that Christians found Plato so amenable. But Plato had it exactly backwards, he thought the empirical world was an illusion and that the abstract world was real. This has been channeled through Christianity and has done enormous damage in retarding genuine progress through empirical study. Since human beings are changing and always changing, this makes human beings, real human relations, and relationships an unworthy topic of study for Plato. He therefore makes great efforts to create a fictional human being, the constant, steady, and unchanging philosopher-king. Plato’s Republic is a design for a polity that never changes. Platonic stability becomes paralysis.
Ethical
Plato the Christian Moralist. What bothers me most about Plato and Platonic philosophy is the narrow-minded aversion to human pleasure whether it is in food, drink, entertainment or sex. It is no wonder why Plato still appeals to over moralizing squeamish Christians. Plato seems to me prudish, and even puritanical in his objections, refusing to admit that human joy is an important part of social stability. A great deal of social conflict results from the lack of human joy and pleasure in sex, food, drink and laughter. I think this explains some of the problems with American society. Joy killing Christian judgmental moralizing is causing isolation and alienation. Plato’s tendency toward tyranny makes sense when seen from his tendency toward over moralization and concern for the personal morality of other people when such personal pleasure/morality does not harm other people. Both Plato and Christians have a fetishized obsession with the sexuality and sexual practices of other people. Tyranny is needed to stamp out joy and impose virtuous Platonic order. Again, Plato had it exactly backwards. Pleasure does not corrupt the ‘soul’ and create an unstable society; it is the lack of pleasure that destroys the ‘soul’ and corrupts social harmony.
Arianne’s Pleasure Principle
Pleasure is no vice and abstinence is no virtue. Pleasure is not hedonism when you master it, and abstinence is not virtue when you are a slave to it. The key to pleasure is in controlling it, not in avoiding it. Maybe if there was more open pleasure seeking, there would be less reckless war making. Again, contra Plato, who linked the will to power of tyranny with overactive sex drive. Well, with the Trump-Epstein files in mind, Plato has a point in that a distorted sex drive does correlate with warped tyranny. This is not mastered pleasure. No doubt, the exploitation of minors and the humiliation of women is a common theme of depots desperate to prove their power, e.g., Trump.
Other Greek Perspectives Discussed by Romm
Xenophon, a contemporary of Plato, was a much more ‘realistic’ thinker in terms of politics and practical outcomes. For example, Xenophon would never choose the study of geometry and abstract notions of virtue as the path away from tyranny to democracy. Xenophon thought that the path forward lay in economic development and public benefits. Another contemporary of Plato was Isocrates who emphasized education for a ruler in practical terms in contrast to the Platonic “gymnastics of the soul” (mental masturbation) which Isocrates characterized as being of no help in either speaking or doing. Needless to say, if one (Plato) thinks material reality is an illusion and abstract thought is the true reality, it follows that the proper education for a political leader is in geometry and the artifacts of abstract thought rather than in the practical aspects of governing. It is no wonder that Plato’s entry into the real world of practical politics was a colossal failure. Imagine it, Plato trying to shape Dionysius “the Younger” into a force of political moderation by teaching him geometry, seriously?
A Note on the Nature of this Book:
In essence, this book is about the writing of the Republic. James Romm is not afraid to use the Letters of Plato, taboo for many scholars, to bring Plato, the human being, to life. Romm presents Plato as a real person rather than as the Platonic version of himself. The Letters give many scholars pause because they humanize Plato too much for their tastes. Many still prefer to keep him on the pedestal of pure abstract philosophy as the Platonic Plato. The book uses the Letters to reconstruct the political reality and social context in which the Republic was written. The Republic was a work of abstract philosophy, but one written and edited based on a lifetime of practical experience and actual events. But rather than incorporate such experience and events into a feasible political design, Plato creates a mythical place, the Republic just like other Platonic myth of Atlantis which some people still think was a historical place.
The allure of authoritarianism is once again strong. Perhaps this is because it is the natural state of human governance with democracy and representative government being occasional exceptions. The current American moment represents a reversion to the mean because we are unable to break our romantic deference to strong leaders; this is the spell and the legacy of Plato and his Republic. People naturally fear uncertainty; they then become willing to trade freedom for security and look to a strongman for safety. Since there is always some level of uncertainty in human affairs, there will always be a bias in favor of political strongmen and tyrants. This is why we are currently experiencing a revision to the mean. Stability is promoted, and uncertainty tamed, by having true allies and loyal supporters while avoiding unreliable annexations and mere lackeys. The U.S. is doing the opposite by imposing strongman rule upon itself while ridding itself of true allies and purging loyal supporters.
Dionysius “the Elder” held power in Syracuse merely by exploiting the fears of the people, stoking their mistrust in traditional institutions, and purging the City of talent while promoting the corrupt and the incompetent as well as persuading the people to vote away their freedom. Trump has done all this plus he has weaponized the state against the people. If regimes correspond to personality types as Plato thought, what does it say about the character of the U.S. voters who elected Trump president twice? Trump simply is the true embodiment of many wretched American character traits which include arrogance, buffoonery, and thuggery to name just a few. In typical tyrannical fashion, as described by Plato, Trump precipitates external conflicts to keep his subjects distracted and dependent. The Trump regime combines an impressive mix of vanity on behalf of the leader with self-abasement of the part of the followers. I am writing this as the U.S. re-obliterates Iran, why do one obliteration when you can do two at three times the cost. It is better for domestic power to leave such conflicts unresolved for as long as possible, so the ‘threat’ posed by them is always available to enhance internal power.
Trump, the Ideal Platonic Leader
But Trump is in a way, the paradigm of a Platonic leader. In the dialogue ‘Stateman’, Plato defines statesmanship as the art that stands beyond the law. The idea is that the statesman instinctively knows what to do as ruler as long as ‘he or she’ has mastered the art of statesmanship. Any political leader will of course claim that they have mastered this art and are thus not bound by the law including extrajudicial murder, e.g., Trump. In circular logic fashion, becoming the leader is the proof that one has mastered the art of statesmanship. Having the acumen to obtain political power is proof that one is empowered to act beyond the law. From this mad logic, nothing but madness and rage follows as we can see in the current Americal political moment where crime begats crime.
The Platonic Contradictions
Political
Plato’s Republic is certainly a design for a nightmarish utopia, and it has had many admirers, enactors, and imitators since it was first written down with Plato being the first to try it out in ‘real life’ so to speak. At least in Plato’s case, he envisioned an enlightened philosopher-king but how Plato differentiated his philosopher-king (good) from a tyrant (bad) is unconvincing. One must first accept that a distinction can be made between a tyrant and a philosopher-king when absolute power and sole authority is invested in one person in both cases. I doubt this is possible. The fundamental contradiction in Plato is that the ruler must be bound the of law to be just, but at the same time the ruler is absolute with the authority to make the law as a statesman. Are these two distinct notions in one-person rule possible? But I have the advantage of 2,500 years of additional perspective. In our case, we have a stupid, bumbling, corrupt, criminal functioning as an authoritarian strongman rather than a philosopher-king but then again, there is no such thing as a philosopher-king and a goon like Trump represents the reality of authoritarian rule. Contra Plato, the exact wrong way to govern is with one’s head in the heavens. Contra Plato, philosophical learning and political leadership are incompatible. The result is that Plato creates a leadership class that prioritizes its own survival over everything else, e.g., Trump again. It thus cannibalizes itself and brings about the ruin Plato was trying to avert. It was not until the end of his career, perhaps based on his experience in Syracuse, in his final dialogue, ‘The Laws’, that Plato became more of a realist and turned his efforts to making better laws rather than better souls. But for Plato, this was only a second-best outcome.
Metaphysical
I think the political contradiction arises from the contradiction in Platonic metaphysics and Plato’s concept of “The Good”. By this I mean things in life can be good such as health, wealth, beauty, and strength but the “Good” as such does not exist as a singular thing or entity in an abstract world, completely whole and wholly complete as Plato imagines it and tells us to purse it. This was mocked at the time by ancient writers such as the comic playwright Philippides. Plato’s system of thought is essentially faith based and was thus enhanced and extended by Christianity, another faith-based system. Both require belief in vague higher planes of existence only accessible through study (Plato) or prayer (Christianity). For both, true reality exists outside of space and time, which is a contradiction. By definition, nothing exists outside of space and time. Again, contra Plato, it is these faith-based believers who are in the cave, it is they who fear and mistrust anyone who tells them that their faith is false. Ever try talking to a Christian fundamentalist? It is Plato’s ‘philosopher’ and the Christian believer who are seeing the abstract shadows on the wall in place of empirical reality. It is the non-faith-based people who need to fear violence, rejection, retribution and judgment from the faith-based believers, not the other way around as Plato believed. The current war in Iran is brought to us by faith-based belief, Christin Evangelicals, Jewish Zionists, and Muslim Fundamentalists. Imagine it, ancient religious beliefs as the casus belli for WWIII in the 21st century.
Epistemological
In terms of knowledge, Plato thought the only objects worthy of study were abstract, eternal and unchanging, i.e., no point in studying things that are decaying and changing as you are studying them. This notion is contrary to modern science. No practical advancement of learning or useful progress in knowledge is possible from studying abstract, eternal and unchanging things because these do not exist other than in the mind of the thinker. Plato advocated education based on the study of unchanging things when the reality in which we live is governed by change. For Plato, only unchanging things are knowable. It is no wonder that Christians found Plato so amenable. But Plato had it exactly backwards, he thought the empirical world was an illusion and that the abstract world was real. This has been channeled through Christianity and has done enormous damage in retarding genuine progress through empirical study. Since human beings are changing and always changing, this makes human beings, real human relations, and relationships an unworthy topic of study for Plato. He therefore makes great efforts to create a fictional human being, the constant, steady, and unchanging philosopher-king. Plato’s Republic is a design for a polity that never changes. Platonic stability becomes paralysis.
Ethical
Plato the Christian Moralist. What bothers me most about Plato and Platonic philosophy is the narrow-minded aversion to human pleasure whether it is in food, drink, entertainment or sex. It is no wonder why Plato still appeals to over moralizing squeamish Christians. Plato seems to me prudish, and even puritanical in his objections, refusing to admit that human joy is an important part of social stability. A great deal of social conflict results from the lack of human joy and pleasure in sex, food, drink and laughter. I think this explains some of the problems with American society. Joy killing Christian judgmental moralizing is causing isolation and alienation. Plato’s tendency toward tyranny makes sense when seen from his tendency toward over moralization and concern for the personal morality of other people when such personal pleasure/morality does not harm other people. Both Plato and Christians have a fetishized obsession with the sexuality and sexual practices of other people. Tyranny is needed to stamp out joy and impose virtuous Platonic order. Again, Plato had it exactly backwards. Pleasure does not corrupt the ‘soul’ and create an unstable society; it is the lack of pleasure that destroys the ‘soul’ and corrupts social harmony.
Arianne’s Pleasure Principle
Pleasure is no vice and abstinence is no virtue. Pleasure is not hedonism when you master it, and abstinence is not virtue when you are a slave to it. The key to pleasure is in controlling it, not in avoiding it. Maybe if there was more open pleasure seeking, there would be less reckless war making. Again, contra Plato, who linked the will to power of tyranny with overactive sex drive. Well, with the Trump-Epstein files in mind, Plato has a point in that a distorted sex drive does correlate with warped tyranny. This is not mastered pleasure. No doubt, the exploitation of minors and the humiliation of women is a common theme of depots desperate to prove their power, e.g., Trump.
Other Greek Perspectives Discussed by Romm
Xenophon, a contemporary of Plato, was a much more ‘realistic’ thinker in terms of politics and practical outcomes. For example, Xenophon would never choose the study of geometry and abstract notions of virtue as the path away from tyranny to democracy. Xenophon thought that the path forward lay in economic development and public benefits. Another contemporary of Plato was Isocrates who emphasized education for a ruler in practical terms in contrast to the Platonic “gymnastics of the soul” (mental masturbation) which Isocrates characterized as being of no help in either speaking or doing. Needless to say, if one (Plato) thinks material reality is an illusion and abstract thought is the true reality, it follows that the proper education for a political leader is in geometry and the artifacts of abstract thought rather than in the practical aspects of governing. It is no wonder that Plato’s entry into the real world of practical politics was a colossal failure. Imagine it, Plato trying to shape Dionysius “the Younger” into a force of political moderation by teaching him geometry, seriously?
A Note on the Nature of this Book:
In essence, this book is about the writing of the Republic. James Romm is not afraid to use the Letters of Plato, taboo for many scholars, to bring Plato, the human being, to life. Romm presents Plato as a real person rather than as the Platonic version of himself. The Letters give many scholars pause because they humanize Plato too much for their tastes. Many still prefer to keep him on the pedestal of pure abstract philosophy as the Platonic Plato. The book uses the Letters to reconstruct the political reality and social context in which the Republic was written. The Republic was a work of abstract philosophy, but one written and edited based on a lifetime of practical experience and actual events. But rather than incorporate such experience and events into a feasible political design, Plato creates a mythical place, the Republic just like other Platonic myth of Atlantis which some people still think was a historical place.
March 18, 2025
I received an ARC of this book as part of GoodReads First Reads giveaway.
I really liked it and thought it did a great job of catching non-philosophers up on the basics of Plato's philosophy. And the relations between the actions in Syracuse and where Plato's has ideas or themes that reflect what was going on in Syracuse are well developed.
Being a non-specialist I cannot speak to the historical analysis in here but it was all presented in an interesting way that seemed to make sense.
The author did a great job of advancing the plot in a manner that continually built tension as to how things will wrap up in Syracuse (with a somewhat amusing deus ex machina, history, being real, doesn't need to adhere to dramatic form).
And I think the author did a good job of showing the events in Syracuse impact on Plato's works but I don't see as much impact of Plato on the events in Syracuse. It may have been there but the moral I walked away with was that those in power might want to appear to be virtuous, or to appear to be associated with scholars, when push comes to shove they'll do what they will and damn the philosophers.
And the fact that the book ends with seems to endorse my interpretation of the moral.
Overall a very good book for illuminating a part of ancient history that I knew nothing about (Syracuse and the Dionysyii) and illustrating there relationship to things that I only knew a little about (Plato, Greece and Carthage).
And the relation of real historical events to a foundational text of Western civilization like Republic was fascinating to read. Especially for a work that I previously thought of as somewhat timeless, it was interesting to consider how contemporary events may have effected the ideas developed in Republic.
I really liked it and thought it did a great job of catching non-philosophers up on the basics of Plato's philosophy. And the relations between the actions in Syracuse and where Plato's has ideas or themes that reflect what was going on in Syracuse are well developed.
Being a non-specialist I cannot speak to the historical analysis in here but it was all presented in an interesting way that seemed to make sense.
The author did a great job of advancing the plot in a manner that continually built tension as to how things will wrap up in Syracuse (with a somewhat amusing deus ex machina, history, being real, doesn't need to adhere to dramatic form).
And I think the author did a good job of showing the events in Syracuse impact on Plato's works but I don't see as much impact of Plato on the events in Syracuse. It may have been there but the moral I walked away with was that those in power might want to appear to be virtuous, or to appear to be associated with scholars, when push comes to shove they'll do what they will and damn the philosophers.
And the fact that the book ends with seems to endorse my interpretation of the moral.
Overall a very good book for illuminating a part of ancient history that I knew nothing about (Syracuse and the Dionysyii) and illustrating there relationship to things that I only knew a little about (Plato, Greece and Carthage).
And the relation of real historical events to a foundational text of Western civilization like Republic was fascinating to read. Especially for a work that I previously thought of as somewhat timeless, it was interesting to consider how contemporary events may have effected the ideas developed in Republic.
June 1, 2025
Saw this walking to the checkout at the library and was intrigued enough to check it out. Full of totally unknown (by me) information regarding Plato's life and writings, particularly The Republic.
November 3, 2025
Very enjoyable. Well written.
November 25, 2025
This is a rare combination of things in one book. First, a history of the Greek colony of Syracuse from the years after the Athenian invasion seen through the eyes of its ruling dynasty. Second, an assessment of some of Plato’s letters which were long considered apocryphal but may be worth another look. Third, an interesting re-assessment of Plato’s Republic in which it emerges as a hopeful but yet ultimately tragic document grappling with the promise and peril of autocratic rule in a post-war age of crumbling institutions and city-states.
There is no filler in this book, little throat clearing. It reads like a fast paced narrative even when covering more abstruse points of Greek philosophy.
My favorite book this year by a mile.
There is no filler in this book, little throat clearing. It reads like a fast paced narrative even when covering more abstruse points of Greek philosophy.
My favorite book this year by a mile.
November 18, 2025
So engrossing. Such drama! Made me realise I knew so little about about Plato's life. And so interesting that philosophers had such an impact on leaders, I truly couldn't imagine that today. The section about the legitimacy of his letters was fascinating.
December 3, 2025
I am an ignoramus. That needs to be set out first in this review. I can't decide whether or not Romm's interpretations of the letters is correct (although, he makes fairly clear that either way he swings on authenticity for the contentious letters he is in good company). This being laid out now, I can say that I learned really a tremendous amount.
The book is ultimately about what happens when idealism meets reality. This is, at least, my Straussian reading of the text. Plato, the idealist with highfalutin ideas, must contend with the realities on the ground in Syracuse. On his first visit he meets the Elder tyrant, who proves uninterested in learning the ways of philosophy. A lost cause, is the Elder. One cause not lost, however, is the tyrants brother-in-law Dion (who Romm hypothesizes to be the lover of Plato, based on a poem Plato had written on his death) who is a lover of philosophy, with noble interests. The rest of the book discusses this question of Dion's possible coming to power vs teacher the tyrants (Elder and Younger) philosophy.
The most valuable aspects of the book for me: a usable interpretation of some of Plato's big ideas (noble lie, philosopher king, the cave, Atlantic, etc), a topology of the philosophical schools at the time (cynics, hedonists, etc) as represented in the court of Dionysius (younger), and a riveting tale about Dionysius.
By the way, my neighbor is Mr. Romm, so consider this a biased review, as I did grow up going to Hebrew school with his children :-).
The book is ultimately about what happens when idealism meets reality. This is, at least, my Straussian reading of the text. Plato, the idealist with highfalutin ideas, must contend with the realities on the ground in Syracuse. On his first visit he meets the Elder tyrant, who proves uninterested in learning the ways of philosophy. A lost cause, is the Elder. One cause not lost, however, is the tyrants brother-in-law Dion (who Romm hypothesizes to be the lover of Plato, based on a poem Plato had written on his death) who is a lover of philosophy, with noble interests. The rest of the book discusses this question of Dion's possible coming to power vs teacher the tyrants (Elder and Younger) philosophy.
The most valuable aspects of the book for me: a usable interpretation of some of Plato's big ideas (noble lie, philosopher king, the cave, Atlantic, etc), a topology of the philosophical schools at the time (cynics, hedonists, etc) as represented in the court of Dionysius (younger), and a riveting tale about Dionysius.
By the way, my neighbor is Mr. Romm, so consider this a biased review, as I did grow up going to Hebrew school with his children :-).
July 10, 2025
At one point Romm gives a précis of a tale from the 1st Century BC scholar Parthenius, a tale he says is "impossible to confirm but too good not to tell". This would serve, in fact, as a pretty good description of Romm's approach in this book to the interactions between Plato (and his Academy) and the politics of Syracuse in Sicily during the first half of the 4th Century BC. I say this because he "believes" that certain disputed letters "from" Plato touching on those interactions are indeed by the philosopher himself. This means that historical events which would otherwise have left scant records can now provide enough to fill a book - this book. And yet I give it 4 stars. That's because I suspended any disbelief I had about the author's assumptions, and therefore could enjoy his forensic dissection of Plato's attempts in Syracuse to birth a realm guided by a "philosopher-king", and be fascinated to note that these forays into the world of shadows also had an counter-impact upon Plato's Idealism. I was also amused, towards the end of the book, to read Cicero's judgement on the first of the Syracusan tyrants to cross paths with Plato - Dionysius the Elder - who spent his final years in Corinth as a music teacher: teaching the young was, the statesman claimed, merely an exercise of tyrannical power on a smaller scale. Such teachers are with us still.
July 17, 2025
I have taught Republic many times. But I have always taught it as a work of philosophy, so I found it quite interesting to get some of the historical and biographical background. Romm discusses the political situation in Syracuse, explaining how Plato was connected to the various rulers and his hopes for putting his ideas about a ruler/philosopher into practice. It was, of course, a disaster, as the tyrants of Syracuse drank and caroused and their overthrow only led to power struggles.
I have always taught Plato as a way to get at problems in our own political system and to ask why we live with those problems. Romm does a nice job of showing Plato’s own hopes for correcting the political problems of his day and his dismay at not being able to put a better system in place. Recommended for philosophers and non philosophers alike, particularly in our own troubled political times.
I have always taught Plato as a way to get at problems in our own political system and to ask why we live with those problems. Romm does a nice job of showing Plato’s own hopes for correcting the political problems of his day and his dismay at not being able to put a better system in place. Recommended for philosophers and non philosophers alike, particularly in our own troubled political times.
August 12, 2025
James Romm is one of my favorite classicists. I have read many of the works he has edited (Yale Ancient Lives, and The Greek Plays) and enjoyed them greatly. I historically do not enjoy philosophy, in fact, I usually despise it, and thus was hesitant about whether or not I would enjoy a book about Plato. I did! I thought his prose was compelling, and equally suited to experts or the general reader. His pacing was excellent, and his analysis and research thorough and reliable. I will definitely be reading more of his books, and cannot recommend him enough!
August 9, 2025
more history than philosophy, but worth the time / expanded my knowledge of Plato
October 29, 2025
I first encountered Plato's "The Republic" in a college philosophy class. I can't say I was taken by the sort of republic ("Calliopolis") his mentor Socrates lays out in the discussions with leading citizens of Athens. There are too many restrictions. Too much censorship of music, theater, and other forms of free speech. And all the predetermined categorization of people...well, what could go wrong, right?
Professor James Romm does not set out to defend Plato's ideas for government, but to document, as best modern historians can, how Plato's various trips to the city-state of Syracuse probably influenced "The Republic". Syracuse was a powerful force in Ancient Greece, a power capable of contesting control of the island of Sicily against Carthage. It was ruled in Plato's time mainly by a family dynasty, the tyrants known as Dionysius the Elder and Dionysius the Younger. Both tyrants ruled the city-state with an iron hand; both were dissolute power brokers who enjoyed being flattered, as autocrats usually do. It was Dionysius the Younger who welcomed Plato to Syracuse as an advisor, with the support of his uncle, Dion, who became a close friend of Plato.
It wasn't long after Plato's visits (approximately 360 BCE) that all hell broke loose in Syracuse. A power struggle erupted between Dion and his nephew. This led to a full-on civil war, one exacerbated by bloody vengeance and economic inequality. Plato got out with his life and returned to Athens. Much of the background for the events comes from either the Roman historian Plutarch (writing four centuries later) and the "Letters of Plato", a dozen or so open letters Plato may--or may not--have written. (Some historians think all or almost all these letters are forgeries written later by students of Plato. (The lengthy "Seventh Letter" appears to be the most plausible as being genuine.) Romm presents the narrative record as complicated, suggesting that the Plato documents are plausibly valid and have withstood some measure of testing over time. While I am simply a lay reader, I say I support the professor's view: the events very likely happened, and Plato later tried to explain to interested parties that his teachings were not to blame for the ugliness on the ground.
It's a fascinating to read this and get a remedial education on the hold that The Republic has had in Western thought for centuries. For that reason alone I recommend thsi book to anmyone interested in Late Classic Age Greece.
Professor James Romm does not set out to defend Plato's ideas for government, but to document, as best modern historians can, how Plato's various trips to the city-state of Syracuse probably influenced "The Republic". Syracuse was a powerful force in Ancient Greece, a power capable of contesting control of the island of Sicily against Carthage. It was ruled in Plato's time mainly by a family dynasty, the tyrants known as Dionysius the Elder and Dionysius the Younger. Both tyrants ruled the city-state with an iron hand; both were dissolute power brokers who enjoyed being flattered, as autocrats usually do. It was Dionysius the Younger who welcomed Plato to Syracuse as an advisor, with the support of his uncle, Dion, who became a close friend of Plato.
It wasn't long after Plato's visits (approximately 360 BCE) that all hell broke loose in Syracuse. A power struggle erupted between Dion and his nephew. This led to a full-on civil war, one exacerbated by bloody vengeance and economic inequality. Plato got out with his life and returned to Athens. Much of the background for the events comes from either the Roman historian Plutarch (writing four centuries later) and the "Letters of Plato", a dozen or so open letters Plato may--or may not--have written. (Some historians think all or almost all these letters are forgeries written later by students of Plato. (The lengthy "Seventh Letter" appears to be the most plausible as being genuine.) Romm presents the narrative record as complicated, suggesting that the Plato documents are plausibly valid and have withstood some measure of testing over time. While I am simply a lay reader, I say I support the professor's view: the events very likely happened, and Plato later tried to explain to interested parties that his teachings were not to blame for the ugliness on the ground.
It's a fascinating to read this and get a remedial education on the hold that The Republic has had in Western thought for centuries. For that reason alone I recommend thsi book to anmyone interested in Late Classic Age Greece.
November 5, 2025
This an well-written and very interesting book. Before reading it, I was aware there were stories that Plato had traveled to Syracuse to try to educate the tyrant(s) in philosophy, perhaps putting to the test his political theories from the Republic. But I was unaware we had so much information, so many details, about these adventures, or how interesting they were.
Romm relies largely on Plato's letters for his story, in particular Letters 7 & 8. I had come to believe these letters were apocryphal, and Romm begins by considering whether they are reliable. Though there is still debate on the topic, the case for their authenticity is quite strong, and even those (Gilbert Ryle for example) who believe they were not written by Plato believe they were written by a contemporary familiar with the events, and thus acceptable primary historical documents.
The other two main sources are Plutarch and Diodorus Siculus, but these two almost certainly drew much of their material from the Letters. The historiography is almost as interesting as the story, and Romm tells both well.
I won't summarize the rest. Romm tells an excellent story, explains how each part of the tale is known, and allows the reader to make up their mind about the ancient sources.
He also gently introduces a fascinating thesis: that Plato was not only disappointed but disillusioned by his efforts in Syracuse, and based on his experiences changed his political philosophy from the ideal state being one ruled by philosopher kings (The Republic) to a balanced constitution heavily based on the rule of law (The Laws).
Call it hubris, call it a Napoleon complex, or say power corrupts, but the Syracuse affair lends credence to the idea that unchecked even the most enlightened ruler ultimately degenerates into an arbitrary despot.
Great read. I also want to call out Romm's "Ghost on the Throne" about the succession battles that followed the death of Alexander. While without the philosophical implications of this book, that is an even more amazing tale that falls into the truth is stranger than fiction category.
Romm relies largely on Plato's letters for his story, in particular Letters 7 & 8. I had come to believe these letters were apocryphal, and Romm begins by considering whether they are reliable. Though there is still debate on the topic, the case for their authenticity is quite strong, and even those (Gilbert Ryle for example) who believe they were not written by Plato believe they were written by a contemporary familiar with the events, and thus acceptable primary historical documents.
The other two main sources are Plutarch and Diodorus Siculus, but these two almost certainly drew much of their material from the Letters. The historiography is almost as interesting as the story, and Romm tells both well.
I won't summarize the rest. Romm tells an excellent story, explains how each part of the tale is known, and allows the reader to make up their mind about the ancient sources.
He also gently introduces a fascinating thesis: that Plato was not only disappointed but disillusioned by his efforts in Syracuse, and based on his experiences changed his political philosophy from the ideal state being one ruled by philosopher kings (The Republic) to a balanced constitution heavily based on the rule of law (The Laws).
Call it hubris, call it a Napoleon complex, or say power corrupts, but the Syracuse affair lends credence to the idea that unchecked even the most enlightened ruler ultimately degenerates into an arbitrary despot.
Great read. I also want to call out Romm's "Ghost on the Throne" about the succession battles that followed the death of Alexander. While without the philosophical implications of this book, that is an even more amazing tale that falls into the truth is stranger than fiction category.
January 12, 2026
Great narrative and learned a lot.
June 22, 2025
This was a phenomenal book.
James Romm is not discussed widely enough in popular history space. This book presents both a thorough analysis of the sources as well manages to include a literature review all the while maintaining an accessible and genuinely exciting narrative. I cant think of another work that manages to walk that very fine line between academic rigour and highly enjoyable prose. I genuinely appreciate that he also writes works covering slices of history that tend to be more neglected in the popular space. This book covers an area of Greek history that often gets ignored (Peloponnesian War through to Alexander the Great), and it boggles the mind because Romm makes it seem so exciting and dramatic. The figures are larger than life, and the action is of scale that rivals works of fantasy.
After finishing this work, I’m prepared to say that James Romm is my favourite historian writing in the popular space. Between heavy hitters like Dan Jones and Tom Holland, that’s really saying something.
James Romm is not discussed widely enough in popular history space. This book presents both a thorough analysis of the sources as well manages to include a literature review all the while maintaining an accessible and genuinely exciting narrative. I cant think of another work that manages to walk that very fine line between academic rigour and highly enjoyable prose. I genuinely appreciate that he also writes works covering slices of history that tend to be more neglected in the popular space. This book covers an area of Greek history that often gets ignored (Peloponnesian War through to Alexander the Great), and it boggles the mind because Romm makes it seem so exciting and dramatic. The figures are larger than life, and the action is of scale that rivals works of fantasy.
After finishing this work, I’m prepared to say that James Romm is my favourite historian writing in the popular space. Between heavy hitters like Dan Jones and Tom Holland, that’s really saying something.
June 1, 2025
I found this book an interesting and compelling read. I appreciated the interweaving of Plato’s life and writings — and the likely strong interconnection between the two. All of my previous exposures to Plato’s work were out of context, an error made strongly evident through this book.
I like, too, that the author presented the mix of positions held by and conclusions drawn by previous scholars on various points before offering his own.
Plus the author writes a good story. I believe I will visit more of his books about other big names from ancient western history. I certainly didn’t expect to write that when I picked up this enlightening work.
I like, too, that the author presented the mix of positions held by and conclusions drawn by previous scholars on various points before offering his own.
Plus the author writes a good story. I believe I will visit more of his books about other big names from ancient western history. I certainly didn’t expect to write that when I picked up this enlightening work.
August 2, 2025
A really absorbing look at a little known (to me anyway) series of incidents involving Plato's attempts to establish a model of his "Republic" on the island of Sicily through the father and son "tyrants", Dionisius I & II. The author's thesis that Plato used these models as a means for developing his great work is well-developed and presented in entertaining form. Included is a good overview of Plato's masterwork and insightful commentary thereon.
December 31, 2025
In the introduction to this book, James Romm dissects the concept of "the spell of Plato" and the whitewashing of Plato's thought. Victims of this spell are told from a young age that Plato is one of the great philosophers of the West and assume that he therefore must have possessed some sort of godlike intellect and judgment and thus that all of his works are beyond question. This is especially problematic when it comes to his best known work, Republic, which in describing the ideal city-state rationalizes a repressive and totalitarian government ruled by an all-powerful dictator.
Plato, according to Romm, was the first to suffer from the spell of Plato, as well as the spell of tyranny. He entangled himself with three tyrants, and became more entangled as each succeeded the previous to the throne of Syracuse. He was easily able to distance himself from Dionysius the Elder – getting sold into slavery for being too mouthy was a pretty clear signal to Plato that his advice was not wanted. But with Dionysius the Younger, Plato adopted an "I can fix him" mentality that resulted in a few decades of equivocation the result of the Younger's sycophants repeatedly lied to Plato about his willingness to follow philosophy.
This lie was important because Plato believed that the only way for his model authoritarian leader to justify their absolute rule was if they were perfectly wise in addition to being all-powerful. Even in the ideal city, this makes no sense. If it's possible for one person to study philosophy and become wise enough to wield power responsibly, why can't ten people, or 500, or the whole city? And who's to say that this hypothetical ideal leader wouldn't view wisdom as being willing to listen to others and share power with others for the greater good? Isn't that the whole basis of the Socratic method?
At least with the Dionysii, Plato seems to have known that these were bad tyrants, as neither one of them had any higher aspirations than a table full of food and a bed full of boys. His shilling for Dion has no such justification. For Plato, Dion was the one who could unite perfect wisdom with absolute power, because Dion studied philosophy, specifically, Plato's philosophy. Plato was Dion's Madam Morrible, his propagandist who rationalized his blatant hunger for power and disregard for the citizens of Syracuse.
This book shows how authoritarian regimes and ideologies gain popular support by showing how one man came to support one. It tells the story of how Plato, one of the brightest minds in human history, humiliated himself by falling for obvious lies, endorsing a tyrannical movement, thinking his ideas were inherently practical and morally correct despite compelling evidence to the contrary, and, most damningly, being unable to admit he was wrong. It is a tale that asks, "If Plato can fall for it, what makes you immune?"
Plato, according to Romm, was the first to suffer from the spell of Plato, as well as the spell of tyranny. He entangled himself with three tyrants, and became more entangled as each succeeded the previous to the throne of Syracuse. He was easily able to distance himself from Dionysius the Elder – getting sold into slavery for being too mouthy was a pretty clear signal to Plato that his advice was not wanted. But with Dionysius the Younger, Plato adopted an "I can fix him" mentality that resulted in a few decades of equivocation the result of the Younger's sycophants repeatedly lied to Plato about his willingness to follow philosophy.
This lie was important because Plato believed that the only way for his model authoritarian leader to justify their absolute rule was if they were perfectly wise in addition to being all-powerful. Even in the ideal city, this makes no sense. If it's possible for one person to study philosophy and become wise enough to wield power responsibly, why can't ten people, or 500, or the whole city? And who's to say that this hypothetical ideal leader wouldn't view wisdom as being willing to listen to others and share power with others for the greater good? Isn't that the whole basis of the Socratic method?
At least with the Dionysii, Plato seems to have known that these were bad tyrants, as neither one of them had any higher aspirations than a table full of food and a bed full of boys. His shilling for Dion has no such justification. For Plato, Dion was the one who could unite perfect wisdom with absolute power, because Dion studied philosophy, specifically, Plato's philosophy. Plato was Dion's Madam Morrible, his propagandist who rationalized his blatant hunger for power and disregard for the citizens of Syracuse.
This book shows how authoritarian regimes and ideologies gain popular support by showing how one man came to support one. It tells the story of how Plato, one of the brightest minds in human history, humiliated himself by falling for obvious lies, endorsing a tyrannical movement, thinking his ideas were inherently practical and morally correct despite compelling evidence to the contrary, and, most damningly, being unable to admit he was wrong. It is a tale that asks, "If Plato can fall for it, what makes you immune?"
January 21, 2026
James Romm’s “Plato and the Tyrant” is both a gripping political biography and an accessible work of intellectual history, showing how Plato’s most famous ideas were forged in the furnace of real-world tyranny rather than in an ivory-tower study. Romm reconstructs Plato’s three hazardous expeditions to Syracuse between 388 and 353 BCE, where the philosopher entangled himself with two autocrats, Dionysius I and II, and with Dion, the aristocrat whom Plato hoped to mold into a genuine philosopher‑statesman. The book argues that the violent drama of Sicilian power politics—court intrigue, exile, revolution, and assassination—formed the experiential backdrop for the *Republic* and Plato’s evolving views on justice and the ideal regime. One of the book’s most striking strengths is narrative energy: Romm tells the story of Syracuse’s rise and fall like an “intellectual thriller,” full of sycophantic courtiers, eccentric thinkers, and insecure tyrants who oscillate between fawning on philosophers and threatening their lives. The episodes in which Plato finds himself effectively a hostage at court, compelled to remain so that his presence can legitimate Dionysius’s regime, vividly illuminate the line from the Seventh Letter that “a tyrant’s requests are mingled with compulsion.” Romm is especially good at showing how Plato’s political theory emerges from failure. The disastrous attempt to educate Dionysius II into a philosopher‑king, surrounded by the “Dionysioflatterers” who poison any serious counsel, exposes the naiveté of trying to redeem tyranny from within and helps explain the harsher, more realistic tone of Plato’s later political writings. By juxtaposing the Republic with the Letters and the Syracusan adventures, Romm offers a fresh, concrete account of how abstract doctrines about the Form of the Good were tested—and found wanting—against entrenched interests and personal vanity. The book succeeds brilliantly as a bridge between specialist scholarship and general readers, synthesizing contentious debates over Plato’s letters into a clear, compelling story without oversimplifying the evidence. For students of political thought, it becomes an unexpectedly timely meditation on the allure of “enlightened autocracy” and the recurring modern fantasy that strongmen can be educated into virtue. At 330 pages or so in spirit, “Plato and the Tyrant” stands out as an essential, riveting case study in how high philosophy can both shape, and be broken by, the ambitions of rulers.
October 26, 2025
This is the story of Plato’s counseling the Dionysius dynasty in an attempt to coax the tryrants to provide good government. Plato made 3 trips to Syracuse for this purpose, while he was was running his school in Athens and creating his masterpiece “The Republic”.
James Romm has a way of making complex history clear without talking down to the general reader. He shows the difficulty of establishing facts when the records are sparse and scarce. He shows and how interpretations have changed over time. Scholars often disagree on interpretations and he defines the debates.
Dion, who had been a trusted advisor (and brother in law) to Dionysius I, was a student in Plato’s school and suggested that a visit from Plato could be useful. Dionysius was open to the idea, not because he wanted the philosopher’s advice, but wanted the prestige of having a sage of Plato’s stature in his court.
Romm takes you through Plato’s 3 visits. Despite his being invited each time, his position is precarious: He needs to finesse the rivalries of Dionysius I, Dionysius (later II) and Dion in order to not seem partisan. Each of these visits ends badly. There was one where Plato, sensing he’d be killed, engineered a clever departure.
You see the waste and destruction of tyranny. The both father and son (Dionysius I and II) preside over a court known for drinking, gluttony and sex… not just weekly orgies, they seem to be continuous. Power struggles become war and war needs money (land confiscation and other theft) and results in death and destruction. By the time Dionysius II is run out of Syracuse and Dion (who is Plato’s hope for the city) comes to power it is a fragile situation. Murders follow and the city becomes a wasteland. The last chapter is a summary of the city’s (somewhat) resurrection.
Throughout the book, Romm returns to “The Republic”, Plato’s letters, and his curriculum (that emphasizes math).
If you are interested in Plato or this period, this is an excellent read. You don’t need a lot of background because Romm has a way of bringing it to life.
September 17, 2025
Merkwaardig boek en voor mij een absolute revelatie.
Plato was voor mij meer een mythe dan een (menselijke) werkelijkheid en uiteraard een filosofie maar één die meestal gereduceerd wordt tot enkele concepten.
James Romm maakt van Plato een echte mens die een belangrijke rol speelde in het Griekenland van zijn tijd. Zijn boek is het relaas van drie reizen van Plato naar Syracuse (Sicilië, West-Griekenland) waar hij probeert om zijn filosofische en politieke inzichten, neergeschreven in zijn basiswerk Republiek, in de praktijk om te zetten en te valideren. Hij werkt in deze samen met would-be tirannen Dionysius de Oude, Dionysius de Jonge en Dion.
Het mislukt grotendeels en Plato zelf komt er niet ongeschonden uit.
Republiek zelf heb ik niet gelezen maar dit boek brengt er een ruime samenvatting van. Het is een merkwaardig (bizar) pleidooi voor een soort verlichte autocratie (de koning-filosoof) en neigt bijna naar de apologie van tiranniek leiderschap.
Mijn score van (slechts) 3 heeft te maken met
- mijn verwarring na het lezen van dit boek over Plato en zijn denkbeelden (daar waar we Plato in het Westen aanzien als opperwijs lijken zijn concepten voor mij meer als een handboek voor autocraten)
- de toch best taaie lektuur in een high brow Engels, de vele passages die voor mij obscuur blijven en de soms moeilijke blend van biografie, geschiedenis en filosofie.
Plato was voor mij meer een mythe dan een (menselijke) werkelijkheid en uiteraard een filosofie maar één die meestal gereduceerd wordt tot enkele concepten.
James Romm maakt van Plato een echte mens die een belangrijke rol speelde in het Griekenland van zijn tijd. Zijn boek is het relaas van drie reizen van Plato naar Syracuse (Sicilië, West-Griekenland) waar hij probeert om zijn filosofische en politieke inzichten, neergeschreven in zijn basiswerk Republiek, in de praktijk om te zetten en te valideren. Hij werkt in deze samen met would-be tirannen Dionysius de Oude, Dionysius de Jonge en Dion.
Het mislukt grotendeels en Plato zelf komt er niet ongeschonden uit.
Republiek zelf heb ik niet gelezen maar dit boek brengt er een ruime samenvatting van. Het is een merkwaardig (bizar) pleidooi voor een soort verlichte autocratie (de koning-filosoof) en neigt bijna naar de apologie van tiranniek leiderschap.
Mijn score van (slechts) 3 heeft te maken met
- mijn verwarring na het lezen van dit boek over Plato en zijn denkbeelden (daar waar we Plato in het Westen aanzien als opperwijs lijken zijn concepten voor mij meer als een handboek voor autocraten)
- de toch best taaie lektuur in een high brow Engels, de vele passages die voor mij obscuur blijven en de soms moeilijke blend van biografie, geschiedenis en filosofie.
August 15, 2025
I won an Advance Reading Copy of Plato and the Tyrant by James Romm from Goodreads.
A cautionary tale for modern times, Plato and the Tyrant: the Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece by James Romm, proves that the best, safest, and most citizen-friendly form of government is a representative democracy. Readers learn Plato's history, especially his thinking about governance and how those beliefs changed over time. This in-depth study of Plato's ideas and writings is fascinating and easy to read, and gives readers much to contemplate today.
A cautionary tale for modern times, Plato and the Tyrant: the Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece by James Romm, proves that the best, safest, and most citizen-friendly form of government is a representative democracy. Readers learn Plato's history, especially his thinking about governance and how those beliefs changed over time. This in-depth study of Plato's ideas and writings is fascinating and easy to read, and gives readers much to contemplate today.
May 24, 2025
This is a timely text. Its descriptions of autocracy are both prescient and relevant. How governments rise and fall, the abuses of tyrants, and the faces behind historical autocracies, are vivid reminders for the present age. This is stuff that still happens. Also, as a student of philosophy, I think that the humanization of Plato was endearing. Before reading this book, I was unaware of the context behind The Republic.
July 5, 2025
Plato and the Tyrant is a compelling historical work that vividly illuminates Plato’s philosophy. It explores power, morality, and justice with intellectual rigor while remaining accessible. The in-depth debates over the authenticity of Plato’s letters, particularly the Seventh Letter, enrich the narrative with scholarly depth and historical context. A must-read for anyone interested in ancient philosophy or history!
February 16, 2026
I read this book over the course of a few months, reading alongside other books. In this way I was able to digest more of the information and reflect on it in between. It is dense, not in length, but in content. There is so much in this book and you find a lot of characteristics that echo throughout history and into the present day. Reading this reminded me that reality is often more wild than some of the stories we write.
January 27, 2026
A revealing period in the life of a man that aspired to the ideal. Despite his encounters with tyranny and the shortcomings of his ambitions, Romm redeems the geopolitical efforts of the philosopher. The same can be said of his most famous work, a text the author admits some difficulty in justifying, though he ultimately does.
February 24, 2026
The author vividly brings to life Plato’s time in Syracuse under the Dionysian tyrants. The book is highly readable, the narrative is compelling, and I came away with a much deeper appreciation of key events in the Western canon and the ancient Greek world. I recommend reading it!
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