The Republic is a dialogue written by the Athenian philosopher Plato around 375 BCE, in which Socrates and his companions ask what justice is and whether the just life is better than the unjust one. To answer, they imagine an ideal city ruled by philosopher-kings, guarded by a trained class of guardians and organised so that each citizen does the work that suits them. The book contains some of the most famous images in philosophy, including the allegory of the cave, and its arguments about knowledge, education, art and the soul have been debated ever since. It remains one of the most influential works of Western political thought.
Before and after
- c. 391 BCEThe Gauls sack Rome
- from 387 BCE to 529 CEConstruction of Platonic Academy
- 384 BCEBirth of Aristotle
- from 380 BCE to 343 BCEThirtieth Dynasty of Egypt
- c. 375 BCEWriting of The Republic
- c. 375 BCEWriting of the Allegory of the Cave
- 375 BCEBirth of Chanakya
- 370 BCEDeath of Hippocrates
- 20 July 356 BCEBirth of Alexander the Great
More in Art, literature & culture
- 26th century BCEThe Great Sphinx
- c. 1,752 BCECode of Hammurabi
- c. 430s BCEHerodotus writes the Histories
- c. 20 BCEVirgil's Aeneid is published
- 48 CEPublication of Epistle to the Galatians
- 325 CEFirst Council of Nicaea
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 4th century BCE.