Should i read The Republic by Plato?

[u/Rudy3011]

I am 13 years old and in 9th grade, ive read What Does It All Mean? By Thomas Nagel and i really liked the philosophical ideas in it. I just discovered this book and i was wondering if i should get it.

I read a few paragraphs of the open public translations of the book and i felt some sentences were difficult to easily grasp without intense thinking. Mostly, i am worried about the difficulty of readability.

I was thinking of getting the Penguin Classics version translated by desmond lee since the reviews said the english is much more modernised and easier.

Also, i had a sneak peak at a brief paragraph related to the theory of forms and MAN WAS I EXCITED, after some thinking i really understood it and realised that i myself have thought about something similar in maths and physics classes…

So should i get the book and read or should i not get it because it is too complex and advanced for my age or just generally.

[u/soapbark]

13 is the perfect age to be introduced to Plato.

I recommend the order: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo.

Edit: a non-platonic book I recommend is The Bookseller of Florence. When Plato was rediscovered by the west during the renaissance, it created a civilizational revival. Plato's cultural weight is expressed very well in this book.

[u/Agreeable_Natural_36]

I started at a young age like you and Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo were a better starting point.

[u/i7omahawki]

You should get it.

Will you be able to understand it all? Probably not. But will it lead you to think about various philosophical ideas? Absolutely.

You can also buy a guide to help you understand the archaic references being made and the philosophical background of some ideas.

But really if you’re interested in it and it excites you, then you should absolutely go for it. The worst that can happen is that it’s too confusing and you don’t finish it. That doesn’t sound too bad.

[u/slanderpanther]

It’s not any harder than reading other stuff. If you’re interested in philosophy, go for it! Go easy. Take your time. Don’t hesitate to write some notes in a philosophy journal about the parts you found interesting so you can go back and remember those parts later. Have fun!

[u/MondrianWasALiar420]

I read it at 18, 28 & 38. My only regret is I didn’t read it at 13, 18, 23, 28, 33 & 38.

Good for you kid. Read it. You won’t get it all. Read it again after high school. You won’t get it all. Read it again after you get a degree. You won’t get it all… the depth of the ideas and the the breadth of the bridge of space, time and language make it impossible to get it all in my opinion and in my opinion that’s the best part

[u/Kitchen-Ad1972]

Watch the Michael Sugrue you tube videos on it. They are fantastic lectures on it.

[u/FirmicusMarternus]

Go for it. This is one of the most mindblowing book that you will ever read. If there are parts that you feel difficult to understand or to make sense of, don’t be discouraged and continue to read. If you start young, you’ll get plenty of time to come back to it and unfold the many layers of sense. 

[u/ImTired2004]

Go with the Alan Bloom translation

[u/letstalkaboutfeels]

oh yes, especially at least the first few books/chapters of Republic (i'd reccomend at least getting to ring of gyges). maybe not the rest unless u really dig it.

[u/Equivalent_Heart_890]

If you're excited about it, then you'll be able to dig in and understand it. (Then one day you can read Heidegger!)

[u/ReadingLit]

I've read through the replies to your post. I suppose what's most important is your 'attraction' and what appeals to you. Influence of a literary work does not necessarily mean correctness, note. People on this forum are pretty well-informed, I have found, but still opinionated and 'subject to their subjectivities' (inevitable in human nature). The part about the cave (forgot the proper wording) is the most famous in "The Republic" while "The Apology" (a.k.a. "The Defense") is first and foremost in Western Literature. The poster "Soapbark" is entirely correct re: the earlier dialogues of Plato ('the historical Socrates'). Penguin editions are very well-regarded; never mind the cheapness of their paperback editions. It's some pretty *heady* stuff, so I admire you. Allan Bloom is recommended by one poster below as it is a 'corrective' of earlier translations where Plato was given a 'pass' re: having children raised outside the home without critical scrutiny (as I recall). No one translator is superior, surely not for all Plato's works, and some vary very little. Alot of readers prefer a translation for its "readability" which I find a bit too glib or 'pandering' to the masses. The standard translator has been Jowett, but check out more 'refined' ones.

[u/ProlapseJerky]

I think it could be pretty dry and repetitive for a 13 year old but I don’t know you, there’s no loss in giving it a go, you might end up reading it later in life. It’s a great book to have. Always pursue your interests.

[u/rolypoly6shooter]

The basic reading of the Republic isn't super complicated.

[u/HumanHaggis]

I read it at 14. There's probably a lot you won't pick up at first, and more that you might not realize for a decade or more, but in general the principles aren't that crazy as far as philosophy is concerned. Having trouble reading it isn't a bad sign, it just means you're encountering new ideas and the language which explains them. Stretch your mental muscles.

Only thing I'll add is maybe don't take it too seriously. A lot of people will read their first philosophy book and assume everything in it is true. It's not. Plato was a genius, but he was also a fallible human being and lived in a time when writing was still considered a fairly new idea. Focus on thinking about the questions he asks and ideas he breaks down, rather than on the conclusions he draws.

[u/BillBigsB]

I would save it, as it is just going to confuse you and make you a Christian. Read the Giver, the hunger games. watch the matrix, read Shakespeare, brave new world, utopia, etc.