Welcome to our first live Q&A on Plato’s Republic!
It was a genuine pleasure to sit down with Dr. Alex Priou for our first live Q&A on the Ascend Book Club. As many of you know, Dr. Priou is a professor of political philosophy at the University of Austin and has joined us before on the podcast to discuss the slaughter of the suitors in the Odyssey and most recently the opening of Book One of the Republic. It was a privilege to host him again—and ask him the questions you submitted on Book One of the Republic.
Be sure to check out our detailed guide on Book One of the Republic and our newly published guide on Book Two.
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Questions Asked:
Here is a list of the questions I asked Dr. Priou, many of which were provided by members of the Ascend Book Club. The conversation, however, was more wide-ranging, as this does not include follow up questions and the other topics Dr. Priou explored.
Thank you again to all who attended and to everyone who submitted questions.
What are we to make that Glaucon was with Socrates coming down to the Piraeus, while Adeimantus was with Polemarchus when trying to understand the two brothers?
In our episode on Book One, you speak about the ascent from the Piraeus is going back to Athens—and that Athens represents tradition/convention while the Piraeus represents novelty. Can you say more about how that provides a lens by which we need to read the Republic?
In the Republic, we never find out to whom Socrates is narrating this story; however, the Timaeus makes it sound like it occurs the day after and that Socrates was narrating to Timaeus (and others). Do you think the Timaeus dramatically is the next day after the Republic?
At 331e when Polemarchus says that Simonides said of justice: “That it is just to pay everyone what is owed to him,” is Plato making a joke by naming Simonides as the author of a pecuniary metaphor for justice? (cf. Hipparchus 228c) (Cystal Clear).
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