How to Read Plato

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, we are preparing to read Plato’s Republic (we start next week!). Before turning to that long and demanding text, we ask a simple question: how do you read Plato well?

Plato does not write treatises or lectures. He writes dialogues, and the setting, the characters, the irony, and even the moments of confusion (aporia!) are part of the teaching. The podcast takes up the questions that help a first-time reader get started on the right foot. Overall, however, we do not read Plato to “be smart” or brag we’ve read Plato. We read Plato to have a beautiful soul. We take him seriously as a teacher who can help us pursue the true, good, and beautiful.

Here is a list of the major questions that are discussed on the podcast today:

1. Why read Plato?
2. Why is the drama important?
3. Are the dialogues historical transcripts?
4. What is the Socratic method?
5. What is Socratic irony?
6. What is the art of dialectic?
7. What is aporia?
8. What is eros?
9. What is pleonexia?
10. What are the parts of the soul?

Again, we read Plato to better understand the good life and to have a good, healthy soul.

Be sure to check out the MASTER CALENDAR for our reading schedule for Plato’s Republic. Also, if you’re interested in a deeper dive into eros, see " Rediscovering Holy Eros ” (one of the most popular articles on Ascend). Moreover, you can read more about pleonexia and its dangers at “ The Greatest Threat to Your Freedom is You .” Last week, to prep for the Republic, we published “ How to Read Plato’s Republic like C.S. Lewis .” Finally, regarding Socratic irony, read “ How a Man Pretending to be Drunk Helps You Read Plato .”

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to reading Plato and its significance

01:00 Why reading Plato is essential for philosophy

02:20 Understanding Plato's teaching through dialogues

06:29 Preparing for the Republic: preliminaries and questions

09:07 Why read the Republic and its moral importance

13:23 How to approach reading Plato's dialogues

26:06 The Socratic method and dialectic explained

33:01 Understanding Socratic irony and its purpose

39:31 Recognizing patterns in Socratic teaching

47:11 Eros, love, and the soul in Plato

55:43 Upcoming plans for studying the Republic

Next week we start Plato’s Republic!

Everything you need to know is here: "How to Read Plato's Republic with Ascend."