Table of Contents
Preface xi
1 Introduction: The Style, Main Argument, and Basic Ideas of the Republic 1
1 The Dialogue Style and the Characters 2
2 The Main Argument and Plot of the Republic 5
3 The Fundamental Ideas of the Republic 8
2 Is Justice the Interest of the Rulers? Is It Good for Us? The Challenge of Thrasymachus 15
1 Why does Thrasymachus Think that Justice is the Interest of the Rulers? 16
2 Socrates' Refutations of Thrasymachus' Premises 19
3 Is [the] Justice [of Thrasymachus] Good for Me? 24
4 Thrasymachus Unconvinced, Socrates Dissatisfied. What Has Gone Wrong? 31
3 Justice by Agreement. Is It Good Enough? The Challenge of Plato's Brothers 36
1 What is Justice? Glaucon's Theory of a Social Contract 36
2 Glaucon and Thrasymachus on what Justice is: Results and Methods 41
3 Why should I be Just? 44
4 What is a Just Society? Plato's own Social Ideal 55
1 What is Justice? Socrates Divides the Question 55
2 What is a Just Society? The Problem of Justice, and How Socrates Tries to Solve It 59
3 The Functional Theory of Good and Virtue 63
4 Plato's Definitions of Justice and the other Virtues of his Completely Good City 67
5 Return to Plato's Methods for Discovering Justice 71
5 Plato's Ideal of a Just and Good Person 76
1 The Analogy between a Just City and a Just Soul 77
2 Plato's Analysis of the Human Psyche 79
3 Parts of the Human Psyche: Faculties or Agents? 81
4 Just, Temperate, Brave, and Wise Human Souls 89
5 Plato's Ideal of Rationality 93
6 The Virtues and Vices of the City-soul Analogy 100
6 The Equality of Women: Plato's Blindfold 107
1 The Blindfold of Justice 107
2 Does Plato's Justice wear a Blindfold? 109
3 The Gender Blindfold of Plato's Justice 110
4 Was Plato an Advocate of Women's Rights? Was He a Feminist? 114
7 Knowledge and Governing Well: Opinions and Knowledge, Forms and the Good 120
1 Ideals as Standards and their Approximations 120
2 The Paradox of the Philosopher-king: Knowledge and Political Power 122
3 Knowledge and Opinions 124
4 Platonic Forms and Physical Particulars 127
5 Plato's Theory of the Form of the Good 137
6 Knowledge of Good 143
7 How Elitist is Plato's Completely Good City? 146
8 Plato's Criticisms of Democracy and the Democratic Character 158
1 Political Equalities and Economic Inequalities 159
2 Platonic Knowledge and Democratic Ruling 165
3 Plato's Criticisms of Democratic Freedoms 170
4 Plato's Democratic Character: Freedom and Equality in the Human Psyche 174
5 Plato's Criticisms of his Democratic Character 177
9 Plato's Defense of his Social and Psychic Justice 187
1 Is Plato's Social Justice Justice at all? 189
2 Is Plato's Political Justice Better for me than the Justice of Thrasymachus or the Justice of Plato's Brothers? 192
3 Is Plato's Political Justice Good for All the Citizens? 194
4 Plato's Defense of his Just Person: The Sachs Problem 202
5 The Defense of Justice as the Health of the Soul 208
6 The Defense of the Just Life as the Pleasantest 212
Bibliography 220
Index 227
