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sar_a_i's review against another edition
2.0
Different philosophy class. Different topic. Different professor. Same text.
bill_desmedt's review against another edition
5.0
The taproot of political philosophy, rendered by a translator intent upon making it possible to follow not just Plato's thought, but its expression in Plato's use of language, without the Greek. Bloom appends an Interpretive Essay which could stand on its own as a masterful summation of Socrates' teaching on the political things.
isajsait's review against another edition
4.0
Often books I read for class are spoiled by the fact that I read them for a class and to write papers on. This book was greatly enhanced by the class experience: honestly if I didn't have discussions on it I would have missed a lot from the text.
Greater minds than mine have analyzed the Republic, but I found it almost an entertaining read. The dialogue form gave me an outlet (at least at the beginning) for my frequent annoyance with Socrates. I often felt like Thrasymachus, furious and bursting with criticism, annoyed at being led from statement to statement to conclusion. The book came together for me twice, once during the Allegory of the Cave, and then at the end of the Myth of Er.
The translation was clear and easy to read with helpful footnotes. Bloom's argument that the entire text is mainly a defense of philosophy and proper education was a useful lens to keep in mind throughout the book.
Basically, if you're reading this for class, this is a good edition.
Greater minds than mine have analyzed the Republic, but I found it almost an entertaining read. The dialogue form gave me an outlet (at least at the beginning) for my frequent annoyance with Socrates. I often felt like Thrasymachus, furious and bursting with criticism, annoyed at being led from statement to statement to conclusion. The book came together for me twice, once during the Allegory of the Cave, and then at the end of the Myth of Er.
The translation was clear and easy to read with helpful footnotes. Bloom's argument that the entire text is mainly a defense of philosophy and proper education was a useful lens to keep in mind throughout the book.
Basically, if you're reading this for class, this is a good edition.
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