Publisher Description

In the Republic, Plato addresses the deepest questions about the human soul and human community, the proper objects of worship and reverence, the nature of philosophy, and the relationship between the philosopher and the political community. As presented in the Republic, Socratic philosophising is eternally unfinished, paradoxical, and ambiguous. According to Jacob Howland, this openness allows for ever-fresh approaches to the questions Plato raises.

Author Biography

Jacob Howland is an associate professor of philosophy and chair of the department of philosophy and religion at the University of Tulsa. He is the author of The Paradox of Political Philosophy. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Table of Contents

Plato's Athens; The Republic and the Origins of Political Philosophy; Critical Provocations; Prelude: Interpreting Plato; The Philosophic Odyssey; A Host of Challenges; Beginning Anew: Socratic Mythmaking and Philosophic Pedagogy; A Comic Tale of Two Cities; Sun, Line, and Cave: Philosophical Imagination and Prophecy; Coming Home? Philosophy and Necessity in the Myth of Er; Index.

Review

Praise for Jacob Howland and The Republic"Clear, accessible, and very informative...a successful and inviting text."--Review of Metaphysics"If only there were more books like this one! Jacob Howland's The Republic: The Odyssey of Philosophy opens up the wealth of the experience of reading Plato's Republic by carefully demonstrating how the dialogue cuts across the boundaries of philosophy and literature...[It] will be an invaluable aid to those teachers who want to introduce their students to a Plato that goes beyond the shopworn problems of Platonism."--Peter Warnek, University of Oregon"Jacob Howland's book is an engaging, readable, and extremely suggestive addition to the literature on Plato's magnum opus."--Ancient Philosophy"In this concise, stimulating and provocative book Howland is in effect dealing with the central and persistent problem about the interpretation of the Republic what is its purpose, and how do we establish what that is?"--Polis"I know of no other book devoted to the Republic that so straightforwardly furnishes a healthy orientation to Plato's philosophic intentions. It will be of unqualified interest both to first-time students of the Republic and to their teachers. Yet it will also intrigue those looking for further, responsible light on apparently well-worn paths. A most inviting, helpful reading."--St. John's Review

Review Quote

Praise for Jacob Howland and The Republic "Clear, accessible, and very informative...a successful and inviting text."--Review of Metaphysics "If only there were more books like this one! Jacob Howland's

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