Did Plato Write Republic I Against Socrates?.

Abstract

The introduction sections of philosophical works provide important insights into the subject and the rest of the work. It is therefore crucial not to dismiss them but to evaluate and explain them within the scope of the whole work. This remark is also valid for understanding the motivation behind the following sections and grasping the integrity of all sections. Book I of Plato's Republic is akin to an introduction section and should be evaluated and explained in this light. Although research has generally been devoted to investigating the thoughts and philosophical/political doctrines put forward by Plato in the rest of the work, it has also been asserted that Book I differs from the rest in certain aspects. Considering this difference and the possible contribution of the book in question to the comprehension of the problems that the other books attempt to answer, Book I deserves similar scrutiny. This study aims to explain the concept of dikaiosynē (δικαιοσύνη), a Greek term mostly rendered into English as “justice”, which is mainly discussed in the relevant book of Plato’s work, how this concept was understood and interpreted by various figures (Cephalus, Polemarchus, and Thrasymachus), what Socrates (or Plato) considered regarding this concept and how he replied to these figures’ accounts of this concept, why this discussion is important and also fundamental for the following books.