In Book 4 of Plato's Republic, Socrates introduces what is regarded by scholars as the Platonic account of justice, according to which it is essentially internal and self-regarding, a matter of relations among the parts of a city or soul. In this book, Roslyn Weiss contends that there is another notion of justice, as other-regarding and external, which is to be found in a series of conversations in Book 1 between Socrates and three successive interlocutors. Weiss considers the relationship between justice as conceived in Book 1 and Book 4, and carefully examines what can be learned from each of the arguments. Her close analysis of Book 1 brings to light what Socrates really believed about justice, and extracts and explores this Book's many insights concerning justice—at both the political and the personal level.

‘Weiss undertakes a nuanced investigation of Book One of Plato's Republic. In clear and engaging arguments, she unpacks Plato's notion of justice, illuminating how and why Book One's often overlooked ideas are, in fact, central to the Republic's arguments. Her accomplished analysis will prove to be indispensable for beginning students and advanced scholars of Plato alike.'

Marina McCoy - Professor of Philosophy, Boston College

‘This book is both a philosophical commentary on the first book of Plato’s Republic and a sustained argument regarding the nature of justice throughout the whole dialogue. … Weiss provides a terrific close reading … reconstructions of the book’s arguments, helpful philosophical distinctions, interpretations of literary features and abundant connections to secondary literature on each point. The results are illuminating - and impossible to ignore - for anyone wishing to understand and interpret Book 1. And, since the themes of Book 1 extend across the entire dialogue, Weiss’s book will be a valuable resource for anyone working on the Republic.’

Source: The Classical Review