Plato's Republic is many things to many people. To some it is among the first works in political theory in the Western tradition. To others it is a penetrating discussion of the relationship between the arts and the state, the nature of education or the sociological role of myth. To others still it may be the first examination of a fundamental ethical question, or the presentation of a fundamental metaphysical theory, or simply the locus classicus of classical Platonism. And as far as I can tell they may all be right. Nevertheless, I believe that the Republic contains a single thread of argument that one must come to terms with before the other issues in the Republic can be properly understood, and it is this thread of argument that will be the focus of this essay.

Before turning to the Republic, let me say a brief word about its author. To the best of our knowledge Plato was born to an aristocratic family in Athens in 427 BCE. His father, Ariston, who traced his lineage to the old kings of Athens, died in Plato's youth. His stepfather, Pyrilampes was a personal friend of Pericles, the great Golden Age Athenian statesman, and his mother, Perictione, was related to Solon, the famous Athenian legal reformer. Some time in his late teens or early twenties, Plato began to associate with Socrates (469–399 BCE), who was executed for impiety by the Athenians in 399 BCE.