PLATO - THE REPUBLIC OUTLINE The Greek title is politei/a, which designates the constitution or political organization of a polis

(city-state).

OUTLINE BOOK I 327a-328c: Down in the Piraeus. 328c-331d: Socrates and Cephalus: Introducing justice. 331d-336a: Socrates and Polemarchus: Justice is helping friends and harming enemies. 336b-342e: Socrates and Thrasymachus: Justice is the advantage of the stronger. 343a-354c: Socrates and Thrasymachus: Injustice is more profitable than justice. BOOK II 357a-362c: Glaucons revival and defense of Thrasymachus position. 362d-367e: Adeimantus defense of Thrasymachus position. 367e-373e: The city in speech. 373e-376c: Introduction of the guardians, and on their nature. 376c-378e: Education of the guardians: On tales told to the young. 378e-380c: God is responsible only for the good. 380d-383c: Gods do not alter their form, nor do they lie. BOOK III 386a-392c: More restrictions on poets and their tales. 392c-398b: The proper and improper subjects and modes of imitation. 398c-402e: Music: melody and rhythm. 402e-403c: Excessive pleasure: Sex. 403c-404e: Gymnastics and diet. 405a-408e: Medicine and doctors. 409a-e: Judges. 410a-412b: Summary of effects of gymnastic and music on body and soul. 412b-414b: Selecting rulers from among the guardians (now labeled auxiliaries). 414b-415d: The noble falsehood. 415d-417b: Communal living of the auxiliaries. BOOK IV 419a-421d: Happiness of the auxiliaries and of the whole city. 421d-427d: Wealth and poverty, the proper size of the city, innovations in music, and other regulations and laws.97 427d-429a: Wisdom in the (now completed) city. 429a-430c: Courage in the city. 430c-432b: Moderation in the city. 432b-434d: Justice and injustice in the city.

434d-441c: Tripartite soul. 441c-444b: Courage, wisdom, moderation, justice, and injustice in the individual. 444c-445b: Justice and injustice likened to health and illness. 445b-e: Identification of the regime Socrates has constructed in speech as an aristocracy or monarchy. The identification and evaluation of other types of regime is deferred until Book VIII. The questions regarding the possibility and the benefit of the womens education constitute the first wave. At 457c-d Socrates implies that the questions concerning both the benefit and the possibility of the community of women and children constitute the second wave. At 472a, however, he distinguishes these problems, identifying the question of the benefit of this regime as the second wave and the question of its possibility as the third wave. On Socrates military career see Socrates as Hoplite. This is the third wave. The possibility of the regime depends upon the possibility of the rule of the philosopher(s), which is finally addressed from 499a to 502c. With this Socrates has finally successfully confronted the third wave.

BOOK V 449a-451c: Request that Socrates explain his remark (at 423e6-424a2) concerning the regime in which women and children are possessed in common. 451c-452e: Education of women in music and gymnastics. 452e-456c: It is possible for women, some of whom are fit to be guardians along with the men, to be educated in music and gymnastics. 456c-457c: It is best for women to be educated in music and gymnastics.99 457c-466d: The community of women and children is best, for it promotes harmony and prevents faction.100 466e-471c: Digression on the conduct of war.101 471c-473c: Whether the community of women and children is possible.102 473c-474b: Introduction of the Philosopher-King. 474b-480a: Distinction between the philosopher and the non-philosopher: Knowledge of that-which-is; opinion of that-which-both-is-and-is-not. BOOK VI 484a-487a: Qualities of the philosopher. 487b-e: The many claim that philosophers are either vicious or useless. 487e-489d: The uselessness of decent philosophers. 489d-496a: The corruption of potential philosophers. 496a-499a: The true philosopher. 499a-502c: The true philosopher, continued; the rule of the philosopher(s) is best and possible.103 502c-509d: Education of the philosophersthe form of the Good (sun analogy). 509d-511e: The Divided Line.

BOOK VII 514a-517c: The Cave. 517c-521b: Philosophers must be compelled to rule. 521c-526c: Education to lead men to the Good: number and calculation.

526c-527c: Plane geometry. 527c-528e: Solid geometry. 528e-530d: Astronomy. 530d-531d: Musical harmony. 531d-535a: Dialectic. 535a-540c: Who should be exposed to these studies, and at what ages they should progress through the various subjects. 540d-541b: The possibility of this regime; purge of those over ten years of age. BOOK VIII 543a-545b: Return to the types of regime and soul.104 545b-548d: Origin and nature of timocratic regime. 548d-550c: Origin and nature of timocratic individual. 550c-553a: Origin and nature of oligarchic regime. 553a-555b: Origin and nature of oligarchic individual. 555b-558c: Origin and nature of democratic regime. 558c-562a: Origin and nature of democratic individual.105 562a-569c: Origin and nature of tyrannic regime. BOOK IX 571a-576b: Origin and nature of the tyrannic man. 576b-580c: First proof that the just life (which corresponds to aristocracy or monarchy) is happiest and the unjust life (which corresponds to tyranny) is unhappiest, based upon the existential facts of the lives in question. 580d-583b: Second proof, based upon experience, prudence, and argument. 583b-588a: Third proof, based upon pleasure. 588b-592b: Summary of conclusions by way of an image of the soul as a combination of hydra, lion, and human. BOOK X 595a-608b: Imitation: Truth and knowledge, virtue and vice. 608c-612a: The immortality of the soul. 612a-614a: Consequences of justice in this life. 614a-621b: Consequences of justice in the after-life: Myth of Er. 621b-d: Final exhortation to a life of justice.