The Republic: The Essential Philosophical Dialogue (Concise Edition)

Plato’s dialogues still form the basis of ethical government and justice today. Now read The Republic in a digestible, pocket format for the modern reader.

With a new introduction placing Plato’s great work at the heart of ancient concepts of human organization and justice, this new edition of The Republic is both accessible and essential. Much of traditional Western thought began in Antiquity, flowing from Platonic dialogues, The Republic being the most significant. Plato expresses the political, ethical and societal framework for the nature of the ideal state and defines the the notion of justice. This new, concise version is carefully edited for the modern audience.

The FLAME TREE Foundations series features core publications which together have shaped the cultural landscape of the modern world, with cutting-edge research distilled into pocket guides designed to be both accessible and informative.

Among the founders of western thought, Plato (c. 428-348 BCE) came from Athens, where he established the original Academy. His most celebrated student was Aristotle (348-22 BCE). So central were intellectual exchange and questioning for Plato that he wrote his works as dialogues, one voice being that of his own true-life tutor Socrates (c. 470-399 BCE).

Harold Tarrant (Introduction and Abridgement) studied at Cambridge and Durham Universities, and worked at the University of Sydney from 1973 to 1993, when he took up the Chair of Classics at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Though now retired, he retains his Newcastle affiliation as Emeritus Professor. His principle focus is ancient Platonism, from Plato to Olympiodorus. He has authored or co-authored ten books in that field, and edited or co-edited others.

Professor Marika Taylor (Series Foreword) is a Professor of Theoretical Physics and Head of School within Mathematical Sciences at the University of Southampton. Her research interests include all aspects of string theory, gravitational physics and quantum field theory. In recent years much of her work has been focused on holographic dualities and their implications. Marika’s research has featured in such publications as Physical Review, Journal of High Energy Physics and General Relativity and Gravitation among others.