Name: Plato's Republic (Books That Changed the World)
ISBN: 9780871139573

Simon Blackburn

Plato's Republic (Books That Changed the World)

i had this lying around my bookshelf for so long. i should have read it sooner. then again, i think i've only been able to appreciate it now that i'm slightly more informed in terms of political philosophy than i was before. not to mention a whole lot more cynical.

didn't expect this book to be written by someone who isn't a big fan of plato. blackburn makes this clear in his critiques at every turn of the page. it helps that i agree with most of his points. from a more practical point of view, plato's utopia isn't just irrelevant—its insistence on perfection is fascist at worst. i'm pinning totalitarianism on him.

i'd have to say this book has its flaws though, particularly its fixation on western philosophy. the author did say he limited his scope, but it still feels personal when he mulls over science and mathematics as western inventions—dare i say the asian civilizations had it all figured out first?

kuuri

i had this lying around my bookshelf for so long. i should have read it sooner. then again, i think i've only been able to appreciate it now that i'm slightly more informed in terms of political philosophy than i was before. not to mention a whole lot more cynical.

didn't expect this book to be written by someone who isn't a big fan of plato. blackburn makes this clear in his critiques at every turn of the page. it helps that i agree with most of his points. from a more practical point of view, plato's utopia isn't just irrelevant—its insistence on perfection is fascist at worst. i'm pinning totalitarianism on him.

i'd have to say this book has its flaws though, particularly its fixation on western philosophy. the author did say he limited his scope, but it still feels personal when he mulls over science and mathematics as western inventions—dare i say the asian civilizations had it all figured out first?

Plato's Republic (Books That Changed the World)

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