The Republic:
Probably the most famous dialogue written by Plato ever, The Republic is a Socratic dialogue that deals with the nature of order and justice in the individual and the state. The dialogue discusses the meaning of the term, justice, and examines carefully, whether or not an unjust man is happier than a just man.
Critias and Timaeus:
The epic of Atlantis begins, very literally, with the two famous dialogues of Plato, Timaeus and Critias. These dialogues are probably the only known written records which speak of Atlantis’ existence. They also mention that the civilization of Atlantis was lost and was never to be found again. Many people, including scholars and historians believe that his tale is completely fictitious and that it was probably a metaphor used to illustrate something that the great philosopher, Plato, wanted to communicate.
The last and longest dialogue of Plato is “The Laws”. However, unlike one’s immediate expectation, the first question that is discussed is not “What is Law?” The question that Plato raises is “Who is given the credit for making your own laws?”Scholars all over the world generally agree that this dialogue was written by Plato when he was in the waning stages of his life, after the failure at the Sicilian city of Syracuse. These events are indirectly mentioned in Plato’s Seventh Letter.
Spuria:
Plato is known to have written many letters and dialogues during his lifetime. All in all, the total number of letters and epigrams Plato wrote amounted to 13 and 18 respectively. These works are together called the spuria and the dubia. The collection of the Platonic spuria was done when the other important Platonic texts were found. But they were immediately declared to be frauds in every aspect including their antiquity.
If one would go searching for the meaning of justice in Plato’s Republic, the conclusion would normally be either one of the two meanings mentioned below:
However, these conclusions can only be drawn after fully understanding what Plato has to say. Just finding the two lines or something similar wouldn’t be enough.
Page 1 of 2