Literary Lecture Series: Plato's Republic

This dynamic series invites participants to explore masterpieces of world literature that illuminate timeless questions of politics, power, psychology, and human imagination. Together we'll read literary masterpieces with fresh eyes for our current moment. Through lively discussion, these courses connect ancient and modern voices across cultures, offering insight into enduring struggles of justice, freedom, and truth. No prior knowledge of any language but English is required.  Additional details for each class are available at www.sfcc.augusoft.net.    

The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead remarked that the western philosophical tradition is “a series of footnotes to Plato.” Of Plato’s Republic, Jean-Jacques Rousseau called it “the most beautiful educational treatise ever written.” By contrast, I wrote obscenities in red ink across several entire pages. Sometimes I still feel that way. But the Republic is a brilliant and unparalleled work of philosophical literature that draws us into the most enlightening kinds of utter political confusion. The argument abounds in myths, allegories, and drama. The dialogue’s temporal setting precedes the unfolding Athenian dramas that put Socrates to death in 399 BCE. No Greek is required.