Plato's Republic - Socrates' interlocutors

Last updated November 22, 1998

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Tetralogies : Republic's home page - 4th Tetralogy's home page - Text of dialogue in Greek or English at Perseus

(4th tetralogy : The Soul - 2nd dialogue of trilogy)

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Plans of the Republic and speakers

This page redisplays the plans of the Republic commented in another page, adding to them an indication of whom Socrates is talking to in each section of the dialogue, and where changes of interlocutor take place. It does so for both plans :

The "visible" plan of the Republic
The "intelligible" plan of the Republic

Note : the numbers in parentheses after the Stephanus references to the beginning and end of each section or subsection give the approximate number of Stephanus pages of that section or subsection. The Gnn/App figures in the right column facing the head title and section titles give the approximate length of discussion with Glaucon (G) and Adeimantus (A) respectively in the whole dialogue or that section, using the same unit (number of pages).

The "visible" plan of the Republic		G158/A81
Introduction : the five challenges Prologue : the setting	327a-369b (39) 327a-328c ( 1)	G5/A5
-- Cephalus : ambiguity, social justice, fear of Hades	328c-331d ( 3)	Cephalus
-- Polemarchus : uncertainty, give each one his due	331d-336a ( 4)	Polemarchus
-- Thrasymachus : duplicity, law of the stronger, justice for others 1st part : Thrasymachus' definition of justice	336b-354c (18) 336b-340a (4)	Thrasymachus
Intervention of Polemarchus and Cleitophon	340a-c (0.5)	Polem., Cleit.
2nd part : why choose justice ?	340c-347a (6.5)	Thrasymachus
Intervention of Glaucon	347a-348b (1)	Glaucon
3rd part : the fate of the unjust	348b-354c (6)	Thrasymachus
-- Glaucon : evading responsibility, justice is a necessary evil, Gyges	357a-362c ( 5)	Glaucon
-- Adeimantus : make believe, ambiguity of poets, example of the Gods	362d-367e ( 5)	Adeimantus
I. The building of the ideal city Transition : the city, larger letters for the soul	367e-427c (56) 367e-369b (2)	G23/A31 G., A., others
-- Genesis of the city 1st part : the basic needs	369b-376c ( 7) 369b- 372c (3)	Adeimantus
2nd part : refinements (Glaucon breaks in afraid of that "city of pigs")	372c-376c (4)	Glaucon
-- Education of the guardians 1st part : "musical" education (1st part : logos - criticism of the poets)	376c-412b (34) 376c-398b (20)	Adeimantus
2nd part : "musical" education (2nd part : harmony, rythm) - Gymnastic -- Administrators and laws of the city 1st part : choice of leaders - the "noble lie" - community of guardians	398c-412b (14) 412c-427c (13) 412c-417b (5)	Glaucon Glaucon
2nd part : organisation of the state (A. breaks in afraid the guardians won't be happy)	419a-427c (8)	Adeimantus
II. Justice in city and soul -- Justice in the city -- The three parts of the soul -- Justice in the soul	427c-445e (18) 427d-434c ( 7) 434d-441c ( 7) 441c-445e ( 4)	G18/A0 Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon
Transition : joint efforts of Polemarchus, Adeimantus, Thrasymachus and Glaucon	449a-450c (1)	P., A., Th., G.
*A. 1st wave : same education for men and women* (Against Cephalus : "phusis" vs. "ousia") *B. 2nd wave : community of women and children* (Against Polemarchus : "all in common" vs. "each one his due") *C. 3rd wave : the philosopher-king* *1. The philosopher and the city* (Against Thrasymachus : wisdom vs. strength) 1st part : nature of the philosopher - knowledge and opinion	450c-457c ( 7) 457d-471c (14) 471c-543c (63) 471c-502c (26) 471c-487a (11)	G7/A0 Glaucon G14/A0 Glaucon G44/A19 Glaucon
2nd part : the philosopher and the state *2. The yearning for the good* (Against Glaucon : the cave vs. Gyges) 1st part : the necessity for leaders to know the good	487b-502c (15) 502c-521b (17) 502c-506d (4)	Adeimantus Adeimantus
2nd part : analogy of the sun - the line - the allegory of the cave *3. The education of the philosopher-king* (Against Adeimantus : dialectic vs. poetry) III. Corruption of city and man -- From timocracy...	506d-521b (13) 521c-543c (20) 543c-580c (35) 543c-548d (5)	Glaucon Glaucon G9/A26 Glaucon
--... and the timocratic man through oligarchy and the oligarchic man, democracy and the democratic man down to tyranny and the tyrannic...	548d-576b (26)	Adeimantus
-- ...man and his life Conclusion : the five answers -- To Polemarchus : each part its due -- To Cephalus : true and false "ousia" -- To Thrasymachus : tamed strength -- To Adeimantus : true and false teachers -- To Glaucon : each one his chosen fate	576b-580c (4) 580d-621d (38) 580d-583a ( 3) 583b-588a ( 5) 588b-592b ( 4) 595a-607b (12) 607b-621d (14)	Glaucon G38/A0 Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon

The "intelligible" plan of the Republic		G158/A81
Introduction : the five challenges Prologue : the setting	327a-369b (39) 327a-328c ( 1)	G5/A5
-- Cephalus : ambiguity, social justice, fear of Hades	328c-331d ( 3)	Cephalus
-- Polemarchus : uncertainty, give each one his due	331d-336a ( 4)	Polemarchus
-- Thrasymachus : duplicity, law of the stronger, justice for others 1st part : Thrasymachus' definition of justice	336b-354c (18) 336b-340a (4)	Thrasymachus
Intervention of Polemarchus and Cleitophon	340a-c (0.5)	Polem., Cleit.
2nd part : why choose justice ?	340c-347a (6.5)	Thrasymachus
Intervention of Glaucon	347a-348b (1)	Glaucon
3rd part : the fate of the unjust	348b-354c (6)	Thrasymachus
-- Glaucon : evading responsibility, justice is a necessary evil, Gyges	357a-362c ( 5)	Glaucon
-- Adeimantus : make believe, ambiguity of poets, example of the Gods	362d-367e ( 5)	Adeimantus
I. The building of the ideal city Transition : the city, larger letters for the soul	367e-427c (56) 367e-369b (2)	G23/A31 G., A., others
-- Genesis of the city 1st part : the basic needs	369b-376c ( 7) 369b- 372c (3)	Adeimantus
2nd part : refinements (Glaucon breaks in afraid of that "city of pigs")	372c-376c (4)	Glaucon
-- Education of the guardians 1st part : "musical" education (1st part : logos - criticism of the poets)	376c-412b (34) 376c-398b (20)	Adeimantus
2nd part : "musical" education (2nd part : harmony, rythm) - Gymnastic -- Administrators and laws of the city 1st part : choice of leaders - the "noble lie" - community of guardians	398c-412b (14) 412c-427c (13) 412c-417b (5)	Glaucon Glaucon
2nd part : organisation of the state (A. breaks in afraid the guardians won't be happy)	419a-427c (8)	Adeimantus
II. Justice in city and soul -- Justice in the city -- The three parts of the soul -- Justice in the soul	427c-445e (18) 427d-434c ( 7) 434d-441c ( 7) 441c-445e ( 4)	G18/A0 Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon
Transition : joint efforts of Polemarchus, Adeimantus, Thrasymachus and Glaucon	449a-450c (1)	P., A., Th., G.
The conditions of feasibility " People won't deem what I say feasible" (450c) 1. " Phusis" : same education for men and women 2. "Koinônia" : community of women and children The paradigm : the philosopher-king " Won't by nature action have a lesser share with truth than speech? " (473a) 3. " Dunamis" : knowledge vs. opinion, philosopher vs. friends of opinion 4. "Theou moira" : the philosopher and the crowd 1st part : nature of the philosopher - knowledge and opinion	450c-502c (48) 450c-457c ( 7) 457d-471c (14) 471c-474c ( 3) 474d-480a ( 6) 484a-502c (18) 484a-487a ( 3)	G33/A15 Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon
2nd part : the philosopher and the state " Our model of legislation, if feasible, is the best one, and, though hard to implement, yet is not impossible" (502c) III. The yearning for the good -- The image of the good 1st part : the necessity for leaders to know the good	487b-502c (15) 502c-521b (17) 502c-509b ( 7) 502c-506d (4)	Adeimantus G12/A4 Adeimantus
2nd part : analogy of the sun -- The analogy of the line : visible and intelligible worlds -- The cave : the paradigm of education IV. The becoming of city and man -- Education of the philosopher-king (monarchy) -- From timocracy...	506d-509c (3) 509c-511e ( 2) 514a-521b (7) 521c-580c (55) 521c-543c (20) 543c-548d (5)	Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon G29/A26 Glaucon Glaucon
... and the timocratic man through oligarchy and the oligarchic man, -- democracy and the democratic man, down to tyranny and the tyrannic...	548d-576b (26)	Adeimantus
...man and his life Conclusion : the five answers -- To Polemarchus : each part its due -- To Cephalus : true and false "ousia" -- To Thrasymachus : tamed strength -- To Adeimantus : true and false teachers -- To Glaucon : each one his chosen fate	576b-580c (4) 580d-621d (38) 580d-583a ( 3) 583b-588a ( 5) 588b-592b ( 4) 595a-607b (12) 607b-621d (14)	Glaucon G38/A0 Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon Glaucon

First published November 22, 1998 - Last updated November 22, 1998
© 1996 Bernard SUZANNE (click on name to send your comments via e-mail)
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