Beautiful City: The Dialectical Character of Plato's "Republic"

by David Roochnik

In this slim but elegantly written volume, Roochnik (philosophy, Boston Univ.) treats Plato's 'Republic' as a dialogue, which is to say that he is attentive to the fact that 'The Republic' develops and builds as a conversation might, with progressive revisions, qualifications, and attention to the method of the dialectic itself.... Roochnik's approach is persuasive and highly recommended to scholars of the classical world. Summing Highly recommended. ― Choice Beautiful City is certain to be controversial, as the author's insights and opinions will engage and challenge philosophers, classicists, and political theorists. To the vast literature on Plato's Republic comes a new interpretation. In Beautiful City , David Roochnik argues convincingly that Plato's masterpiece is misunderstood by modern readers. The work must, he explains, be read dialectically, its parts understood as forming a unified whole. Approached in this way, the text no longer appears to defend an authoritarian and monolithic political system, but rather supplies a qualified defense of democracy and the values of diversity. Writing in clear and straightforward prose, Roochnik demonstrates how Plato's treatment of the city and the soul evolves throughout the dialogue and can be appreciated only by considering the Republic in its entirety. He shows that the views expressed in the early parts of the text do not represent Plato's final judgment on these subjects but are in fact dialectical "moments" intended to be both partial and provisional. Books 5-7 of the Republic are, he maintains, meant to revise and improve upon books 2-4. Similarly, he sees the usually neglected books 8-10 as advancing beyond the thoughts presented in the previous books. Paying particular attention to these later books, Roochnik details, for instance, how the stories of the "mistaken" regimes, which are often seen as unimportant, are actually crucial in Plato's account of the soul.

Genres: Philosophy

Hardcover

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

David Roochnik is Professor of Philosophy and Maria Stata Professor of Classical Greek Sudies at Boston University. Prior to that he was Associate Professor of Philosophy and Classical Studies at the Iowa State University, and during the 1992/93 year Visiting Associate Professor at Williams College.

He joined Boston University in the fall of 1995. In 1996, he was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award by the Undergraduate Philosophy Club. In 1997, Dr. Roochnik was awarded both the Gitner Award for Distinguished Teaching at the College of Arts and Sciences and the Outstanding Teaching Award by the Honors Program in the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Roochnik is also winner of Boston University’s 1999 Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching. Recipients of this award are chosen after a university-wide competition and assessment. Most recently Dr. Roochnik won the John Donovan Best Paper Award, New England Political Science Association. May, 2004 (for a paper given in May, 2003: “Plato’s Defense Of Diversity.”)

Dr. Roochnik is the author of thirty-five articles on Greek philosophy, Greek literature, rhetoric ancient and modern, post-modernism, and the nature of philosophy. He is the recipient of grants and fellowships from the NEH and the Earhart Foundation. He was also invited to give the inaugeral lecture of the Ancient Philosophy Society in Eugene, Oregon, October 7, 1999.

Reviews

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books about ancient philosophy I have ever read. First, Roochnik is a clear writer and this work is eminently readable for an academic book. Second, his explanation of the structure and flow of the Republic is rich, deep, and fascinating. I’ve learned so much about the Republicthrough his book. He makes sense (or helps to make some sense) of many of the pickles I’ve discussed with my students (and friends) over the years about the arguments and theories in the Republic.

There are two main, general take-aways from Roochnik’s book. First, the Republicmust be read as an entirety. It is not a linear philosophical treatise in which we can move step by step through deductive arguments. We cannot isolate sections of it to focus only on that part of the argument. The parts and individual moments make the most sense when understood as part of the whole of the work.

Second, the recurring themes of the arithmetic and the erotic are central to understanding the interplay of the arguments and stories in the Republic. Roochnik shows how Plato moves through the dialectic of introducing the first arguments about the city and the soul, and the necessary city, in largely arithmetic terms but gets challenged by the Eros that Glaucon insists upon. This is revised and rebuilt mixing math and desire together—but this introduces new problems. This leads to new arithmetic means of explaining and dealing with these issues; only to be thwarted again by Eros. And so on, again and again. This interlay – dialogue if you will—is at the heart of understanding the movement through the dialogue.

I ask my students to consider what the purpose or ultimate point of the Republicis. Is it political; meant to defend a particular sort of regime? Is it primarily ethical; meant to defend the just life against the Thrasymachean claims of immoralism? Is it meant as a warning about democracy or as a qualified defense of democracy? Roochnik suggests, in my interpretation of his arguments, something a bit different: it is meant to present a picture of the human soul in action. The medium of the dialogue, the use of math and desire (philosophy and poetry), portray the complexity of human psychology, understanding, and engagement with the world.

I think this explains largely why the Republichas for so long and continues to be so central to philosophy. Why reads Plato 25 centuries later? Because it is so rich and deep, and has so much to tell us about ourselves. And Roochnik helps to show why this is so. His book breathes new life into discussions and to see the dialogue in a new, and clearer, light.

[Kgb Kowboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for my thesis. One of the most illuminating books on Plato.