Reading Guide to Plato, Republic and Lindberg, The Beginning of Western Science

Reading Guide to Plato, Republic / translated by C.D.C. Reeve. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, !!". #$C%&.P'&( !!") and David C. *indberg, The Beginnings of Western Science, nd edition. Chicago: +he ,niversity o- Chicago Press, !!%. Read: Text 1a: Verses 514-521c (The llegor! o" The #a$e%, &oo' V((, ))* 2+,-215* Text 1b: #ha)ter 2 (Plato-s .orld o" /or0s% Core .uestion: .hat is true and 1hat is real2 Introduction:
&rie" introduction o" Republic 3 the author thens 1hen Plato 1rote Republic 4ain ideas5belie"s set out in Republic 6 (deal societ! (Philoso)her 7ing% the )eo)le 1ho are 0ost 8ust* 6 (dea o" 8ustice 4ain the0es o" the llegor! 6 9""ect o" education 6 The beco0ing o" a )hiloso)her 6 ))earance and realit! ))l! to our li$es 6 .hat bound the )eo)le in real li"e and 1hat can the! do to be liberated2 The role o" :a$id Lindberg-s The Beginnings of Western Science in the course

+e/t &a #Republic) Republic is a "a0ous 1or' o" Plato (c. 42, &# ; c. <4, &#%,1 an ancient Gree' )hiloso)her* The boo' co0)rises o" ("ictional% dialogues bet1een =ocrates, Plato-s teacher and the )rotagonist in this boo', and $arious thenians as 1ell as "oreigners* t the ti0e the boo' 1as 1ritten, in around <,+ &#, thens 1as a de0ocrac!, and its )o1er 1as slo1l! declining due to the Pelo)onnesian 1ar 1ith =)arta* There 1as a grou) o" rhetoric teachers then, called the =o)hists, 1ho held the belie" that there 1ere no ob8ecti$e 0oral truths and 0oralit!* .ith its "ocus on the discussion o" 8ustice, Republic 0a! be seen as a res)onse to such 0oral s'e)ticis0* Politics also )la!s a 0a8or )art in the boo'* s the discussion un"olds, )ersonal 8ustice is lin'ed to 8ustice in the cit!, and there are descri)tions on ho1 cities 1ould "are as the! 1ere ruled b! di""erent t!)es o" rulers* Through the li)s o" =ocrates, Plato )resented his case "or the ideal cit! state, the kallipolis, 1hich 1as a co0)letel! 8ust and $irtuous
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Reading Guide to Plato, Republic and Lindberg, The Beginning of Western Science

cit! ruled b! )hiloso)hers* >e atte0)ted to de"ine indi$idual 8ustice through de"ining )olitical 8ustice in an i0aginar! )er"ect cit!* >e then 1ent on to clai0 that such cit! 1as )ossible, as long as its rulers beco0e )hiloso)hers (or $ice $ersa%* =o 1hat 1ould )hiloso)hers be li'e, and 1hat 1ould )roduce the02 =ocrates )ortra!ed )hiloso)hers as 'no1ledgeable and $irtuous, and the! 'no1 ?the "or0 o" the good@* 9ducation is essential to 0a'e the0 suitable rulers o" the ideal cit!* (n such )ortra!al, Plato addresses $arious issues including 'no1ledge, education and realit!* /or instant, The llegor! o" the #a$e 0a! be seen as an illustration on education* The untutored )eo)le are li'e )risoners, ignorant o" the ideal 1orld* s the! are educated, the! co0e closer to the truth* The! see that 1hat are a))arent to the senses, li'e the shado1s, are not the truth itsel"* 9$en 1hen the! return to the ca$e, the! 1ould see things as the! are, not as the! a))ear to be* =uch )eo)le are those =ocrates dee0s 1orth! as rulers, as the! ha$e ?ex)erience o" truth@ and see better than the other )eo)le* s 1e read the )assage, it 0a! be hel)"ul to note se$eral 0a8or )hiloso)hical assu0)tions Plato has ta'en: i% his belie" that the 1orld re$ealed b! our senses is not the ideal 1orld but onl! a )oor co)! o" it, and that the ideal 1orld can onl! be a))rehended intellectuall!A ii% his idea that 'no1ledge cannot be trans"erred "ro0 teacher to student, but rather that education consists in directing students- 0inds to1ard 1hat is true and i0)ortant and allo1ing the0 to a))rehend it "or the0sel$esA (the ideal o" education% iii% his "aith that the uni$erse ulti0atel! is goodA i$% his con$iction that enlightened indi$iduals ha$e an obligation to the rest o" societ!, and that a good societ! 0ust be one in 1hich the trul! 1ise (the Philoso)her-7ing% are the rulers* (Buoted "ro0 The History Guide%2 +e/t &b #The Beginnings of Western Science) :a$id Lindberg-s The Beginnings of Western Science is a success"ul textboo' about the histor! o" 1estern science* The author )ro$ided a $er! brie" "ra0e1or' on the de$elo)0ent o" scienti"ic ideas "ro0 the ancient and 0edie$al ages* s 1e ha$e seen in the llegor! o" the #a$e o" Republic on 1hat the Platonist )hiloso)hers- belie" to1ards the ulti0ate truth 1as, :a$id Lindberg is going to ta'e us to a))reciate ho1 such belie" enlightened the natural )hiloso)hers* .e ho)e that our readers could share the 1onder o" the in"luence o" the Gree' (in )articular, Platonic% )hiloso)h!, and get a
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Reading Guide to Plato, Republic and Lindberg, The Beginning of Western Science

taste o" ho1 the )hiloso)hers started to understand our Cature* Glossary o- +e/t &b: P!thagorean )hiloso)hers (% The :e0iurge (% 9)iste0olog! (% Phaedo () /ollo1ers 1hose thoughts 1ere do0inated b! P!thagoras- 0athe0atical or religious 1or'* 9$entuall! se)arated into 2 schools o" thoughts* The cra"tsgod 1ho "ashions and arranges the )h!sical 1orld to 0a'e it con"or0 to a rational and eternal ideal* The stud! o" the nature and li0itations o" 'no1ledge* one o" the Plato-s great dialogues along 1ith the Republic and the Symposium* The Phaedo, 1hich de)icts the death o" =ocrates, is also ?PlatoDs 1Eth and last dialogue to detail the )hiloso)herDs "inal da!s@* (Wikipedia%

0utline o- Republic (whole book): &elo1 is an outline o" Republic b! &ertrand Russell (source: Wikipedia% &oo' (-V: the Fto)ia )ortion, )ortra!ing the ideal co00unit!, starting "ro0 an atte0)t to de"ine 8usticeA &oo' V(-V((: since )hiloso)hers are seen as the ideal rulers o" such co00unit!, this )art o" the text concentrates on de"ining )recisel! 1hat a )hiloso)her isA &oo' V(((-G: discusses se$eral )ractical "or0s o" go$ern0ent, their )ros and cons* 0utline o- +e/t &a #+he 1llegory o- the Cave): Le"t as an exercise* 0utline o- +e/t &b #*indberg2s The Beginnings of Western Science): Para* 2,-2H: &ac'ground o" Plato Para* <+-<1: The real0 o" idea and the 0aterial real0 Para* <2: The i0)ortance o" the "or0 Para* <<-<4: The allegor! o" the ca$e and the realit! Para* <5-<I: (0)lications o" PlatoDs $ie1 Para* <E-<,: Plato did not dis0iss the senses Para* <H: PlatoDs $ie1 and 0odern thought

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Reading Guide to Plato, Republic and Lindberg, The Beginning of Western Science

3tudy .uestions: +e/t &a Para* 1-E: >o1 do the shado1s "or02 Para* ,-1<: .hat caused )ain in the )risoner-s e!es2 .hat did he need in order to see the things in the 1orld abo$e2 Para* 14-15: .hat are the things that the )risoner 1ill not desire again2 Para* 1I-1E: .h! did he )ro$o'e ridicule2 Para* 1,-21: #o0)lete the "ollo1ing table sho1ing the co0)arison bet1een the allegor! and the real li"e: llegor! =un-s )o1er F)1ard 8ourne! o" the soul (ntelligible real0 +e/t &b Para* <+-<1: The 0aterial real0 is the JJJJJJJJJJ ()er"ect5i0)er"ect% re)lication o" the real0 o" "or0s* Para* <2: ccording to Plato, can a "or0 be seen2 Para* <5-<I: Ran' the "ollo1ing according to Plato-s $ie1 on the le$el o" realit! (in ascending order%: (i% so0ething that is i0)er"ect but stable, (ii% so0ething that is )er"ect and stable, and (iii% so0ething that is i0)er"ect and unstable* Para* <E-<,: .hat are the "unctions o" sense ex)erience to our understanding2 9nd Real li"e Real0 re$ealed through sight

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