The
Republic was the most difficult book I have ever read. It took me two months of concerted effort to
complete, and I feel as if new grooves had to be dug into my brain to get the
job done. Mostly I learned that my brain
wants to vociferously resist any kind of improvement of this sort. My eyes will water and my mouth will hinge
into gaping yawns after two pages. I had
to read, and re-read, then re-read again, most of the entire book. I apparently have the attention span of a
gnat. But the more I read, the more I
was drawn in. It is not a book one just
reads; it must be studied and puzzled over, discussed and studied again. It was a transformative experience. Mediocre reads I had previously enjoyed seem exceptionally
lame now, like I have been spoiled for them.
The
Republic surprised me on many levels.
Many concepts that I thought came straight out of Catholicism actually
had their basis in the philosophy of Socrates.
The cardinal virtues, prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance, and
the underpinnings of Catholic social justice teaching, were directly codified
by Plato. Who knew? And though Socrates gave lip service to “the
gods,” at times, he often seemed to unify them into just one. Also, the story of “Er” while fully
supporting reincarnation, definitely gives credence to an early form of
Purgatory as well. And this is all 400
years before the birth of Christ.
I found
the portion discussing the various political states very illuminating. Socrates’ explanation of why a meritocracy
will devolve into an oligarchy, which will then devolve into democracy and
finally into tyranny is almost chillingly prescient. It was very odd to see any other form of
government held up as being superior to democracy, but his reasoning, of course,
is very sound, since he considers democracy a sort of mob-rule. Surprisingly, Socrates also appears to have
believed somewhat in the equality of the sexes, or at least, that exceptional
woman could compete on a male playing field.
The
Republic is worth all the effort it took to absorb. I understand now why it is considered a
foundational work in the western literary cannon. It is amazing that so much well-reasoned
thought came from a single source. We
are lucky that it has survived, when so many other works perished. The world would be a completely different
place if everyone read Plato; it certainly deserves a place on every classicist’s
short list.
