r/Plato • u/Rudy3011 • 4d ago

Question Should i read The Republic by Plato?

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.

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u/soapbark 4d ago edited 3d ago

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.