"Unless the philosophers rule as kings or those now called kings and chiefs genuinely and adequately philosophize, and political power and philosophy coincide in the same place . . . there is no rest from ills for the cities . . . nor I think for human kind, nor will the regime we have now described in speech ever come forth from nature, insofar as possible, and see the light of the sun."

- Socrates in Plato's Republic

We delve into classical rhetoric, focusing on Plato's Republic. Plato's response to the collapse of civic life in his era introduces us to the dialectical tension between utopia and dystopia. This tension emerges when the Republic architecturally and rhetorically separates "others" (including most women) from the public sphere.

Reading: Plato

Notes: Summary of Book Five

Review key terms

Off-campus webpages

Aristophanes, The Clouds - maintained by the Internet Classics Archive

Aristotle, Combined Works

Aristotle, The Politics

Laurence Bove, What are the current views on Justice?

Cicero, Combined Works

Isocrates, Combined Works

J.J. O'Donnell, Augustine of Hippo

Plato, The Republic - maintained by the Internet Classics Archive

Star Trek - episode 74, The Cloud Minders - see image of the Platonic city in the clouds.

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