I have been a writer for The Political Review since 2021. It has been one of the best experiences of my education experience, and I encourage all to apply, read, and engage with The Political Review. Since this will be my last article, I thought about what I would want my final message to be for my few (if any) readers. Although many lessons and rants came to mind, one stood out from them all: read Plato’s Republic. I consider it to be one the greatest political, ethical, and literary works of all time. Most do not feel this way, but I feel it my duty to at least entice you to read the Republic.
There is no shortage of political nihilism in everyday conversation, especially in the United States[1][2]. Political nihilism is the view that politics is pointless, or our political state is headed in the wrong direction. Usually these two features of political nihilism feed into each other into a nihilistic equilibrium. No one is talking with each other, the opposing political party is omnipotent and the embodiment of evil, votes don't matter, etc. Therefore, politics is pointless. Not so, says Plato.
Plato was in a unique position where he saw an abundance of political polarization. In his lifetime, he witnessed three different political systems from democracy to tyranny back to democracy. He saw friends murder friends over political stances, family members murder each other over political beliefs, and just gross decadence. Having lived through this political turmoil, Plato’s Republic becomes his response to resolving this political polarization.
His response revolves around two questions: (1) what is justice? and (2) in the absence of moral, social, or political consequences, why should we be just? Answering these two questions results in political unification. Why? First, clarifying what justice is will get everyone on the same page. Crucially, the justice with which Plato is concerned does not have to do with a political justice, he wants us to define the virtue of justice — how one should act to be a good person and the nature of goodness. Second, explaining why we should be just directly responds to political nihilism. In the face of total turmoil, why still strive to be a good citizen?
I won’t spoil Plato’s answers, mostly because he does not really give answers. That’s a bit misleading, but let me explain. Since Plato was skeptical of the book as a medium for education, he designed the Republic very carefully to avoid his concerns. He felt that the book should not tell you what to think, but how to think. This is important to remember because the Republic has a lot of very bizarre claims and (apparently) naïve arguments. People usually respond with disgust or congratulate Plato for his efforts but dismiss him as irrelevant. But, the Republic is supposed to spark these feelings. The challenge is for you, the reader, to think through the issues. So, when reading Plato, you should first ask, “Why does Plato want me to think about x?” Then follow up with, “What do I think about x?” Plato wanted books to cultivate an individual and the Republic does just that.
When I applied to the Political Review, I was asked what I thought of the future of American politics — were we headed in a good or bad direction? This was right after the BLM summer protests, January 6th riots, fraudulent elections, LGBTQ+ issues, etc. At the time, I said that I was hopeful for America because I felt that we would become stronger from the repeated stress. Well, things have arguably gotten worse since then, but my answer remains the same. But, I will say that improvement in a political society does not come from nowhere. It requires some effort. For this purpose, I recommend reading Plato’s Republic. Although I discourage not engaging with primary sources and not reading, most readers are college students, so finding time to read is difficult. A trustworthy substitute would be the podcast Ancient Greece Declassified. There you will find a series of episodes on Plato’s Republic (and other content) that will give the main ideas of the book with fascinating insights. I hope you will enjoy the Republic.
