Select one of the texts we have discussed extensively in class – i.e., Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Hobbes’s Leviathan, or Rousseau’s Discourse on the Arts and Sciences.
2. Spend some time reading recent secondary literature/scholarship on the text you have chosen. Be sure that what you are reading has been published for the first time in the last ten years (i.e., nothing published before 2010 is acceptable for this assignment).
a. Please note that alternate translations of these texts do not count for purposes of this assignment.
3. Provide Chicago style citations and an annotated bibliography covering the best/most interesting 6 works you have come across.
a. Make sure that one of them is a book-length study (i.e., not just a book of essays by one or more authors, but a long, sustained work – i.e., a book, by one author, extensively treating of the subject).
b. Please note that your bibliography must be limited to works that are appropriately considered scholarship – this means works published in appropriate scholarly journals and by appropriate scholarly presses.
i. Websites and encyclopedia articles are not acceptable.
ii. Pieces published in the popular press are not acceptable (i.e., the magazine Philosophy Now)
iii. Articles referencing, say, Aristotle, but published in business or psychology journals are not acceptable. Antichthon, Polis, Interpretation: a Journal of Political Philosophy, The European Journal of Philosophy, The Philosophical Quarterly, etc., are all acceptable sources, just to name a few.
iv. Business journals, journals in other academic disciplines, or journals of undergraduate research are not acceptable sources.
c. An example of a Chicago-style bibliography can be found here: http://libguides.enc.edu/writing_basics/annotatedbib/chicago
4. Your annotation should include:
a. a) a Chicago-style citation for the source
b. b) an overview of the argument made in the cited publication.
c. c) a critical judgment on the strengths and weaknesses of the argument. Your account of each source needs to be both descriptive and critical. What this means is that if you don’t think you’ve understood Kant, you shouldn’t be doing an annotated bibliography on Kant.
5. The final product should be at least five pages (12 point font, double spaced, standard margins). In the past, I have asked for less, and the vast majority of students have ended up submitting about five pages. If you have more to say, that’s fine – you can go over.

ANSWER

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY: PLATO REPUBLIC

Annotated Bibliography: Plato Republic

Kamtekar, Rachana. 2011. “Ethics and politics in Socrates’ defense of justice.” In Plato’s ‘Republic.’ A Critical Guide, by Mark L. McPherran, 65-82. Cambridge University Press.

This source is a chapter in a book that focuses on ethics and politics in defense of justice within Plato’s Republic framework. The author’s primary argument is that the ideal city, according to Socrates’ defense of justice, connects justice as a structure of the individual soul and behavior, which means showing the just and unjust actions. On the other hand, Plato’s argument of the ideal city subordinates politics and emphasizes ethics leading preferably the just over unjust life. In defense of justice, the author argues that Socrates provides intellectual knowledge arguing that justice should be valued for its own sake and that of its consequences. However, according to the author, even though Socrates provides intellectual knowledge of understanding justice, which he explains, ethics and good, he lacks the knowledge himself. This argument’s primary strength is that it resonates with my understanding of Socrates’s justice defense views. Connecting justice with individual soul and behavior shows that justice is achieved when a person is wise, good, virtuous, breeding effective and just actions. Regarding Plato’s argument made by the author, it presents practical and objective reasoning that resonates with my analysis. When the author shows the subordination of politics and superiority of ethics in defense of justice, she expounds on my understanding and that of the Republic that it is the individual’s interests to be just instead of unjust. A notable weakness is that I cannot entirely agree that Socrates lacks knowledge, yet he provides it.

Kastely, James L. 2015. The Rhetoric of Plato’s Republic. Democracy and the Philosophical Problem of Persuasion. University of Chicago Press.

This source is a book discussing the rhetoric of democracy examining issues of justice, communication, and persuasion skills presented within Plato’s Republic framework. The author argues that two related crises are offered at the beginning of the Republic, including rhetoric and philosophical crisis. In the rhetoric crisis, the author argues that democracy is mostly defended using justice; however, it becomes abstract, as people will not take it seriously for not seeing it, especially in the contemporary world of politics where the powerful dominate the weak. Hence, justice becomes a value founded philosophically but will only be known and reached to fewer people. Thus, the author shows the interrelation between the two crises arguing that for modern political personnel to reach larger political audiences and extend democracy, they must become rhetoric; persuasively communicating justice and democracy, making them part of the larger culture. These arguments are strong in that the author makes a reasonable and not emotional argument backed with examples from the Republic and uses precise words relevant in modern politics. More importantly, the author makes the Republic viable and applicable in contemporary politics, something highly contested as he introduces the theory of persuasion as vital in discussing justice and organizing our modern politics within justice as explained by Plato and Socrates and democratic principles.

McCoy, Marina Berzins. 2020. Image and Argument in Plato’s Republic. New York: State University of New York Press.

This book provides a rather interesting and engaging viewpoint of the Republic. According to the author, the imagery used and seen in the Republic plays a critical role in elevating the philosophical arguments. For instance, when explaining the scene where Plato is writing, she shows that the ideas made are dependent on the imagination, including models and analogies. The author provides a unique perspectival reading with relevant facts and unbiased opinions, which is a strength, showing the importance of images in enhancing intellectual capacity and reimagining the texts or ourselves. The author’s most resonating argument is that the educative value of works such as the Republic lies not only in the content presented but also in readers’ ability to receive, make sense, and meaningfully engage with the information provided within the social and political contexts. When reading the Republic, people either focus on the imagery visualization of the dialogue while another group of people will mostly focus on the literature part trying to identify the philosophical understanding of the concepts and issues of justice, ethics, politics, philosopher kings, and the ideal city. I belong to the latter group. However, with this book, an integration of both the imagery and literature focus is combined seamlessly to bring out the Republic’s understanding and philosophical meaning. The only weakness presented is that this source and arguments made focus more on the role of imagery in elevating the purpose of the Republic but does not provide critical interpretations and stands in the main issues of justice, politics, ethics, just or unjust, philosopher kings, and the ideal city.

Reeve., C. D. C. 2015. “Blindness and Reorientation: Problems in Plato’s Republic.” European Journal of Philosophy Vol 23(51), pp; e1–e22.

This book review shows many inconsistencies in the Republic seen in many interpretations and arguments made by authors. The author introduces an objection in the philosopher-kings’ discussion and viability, stating that if philosopher-kings are left to rule based on their rational prudence, it is set to show high-level practice of justice instead of ruling with full-blooded desires make them weak. Hence, this threatens the concept of justice, making it an instrument only suitable for philosophers, which they practice as something compulsory and not good. This argument feels subjective and weak when showing philosopher kings’ viability in creating an ideal state or explaining justice. According to Socrates, justice is viewed and explained as a state’s character and not just actions. Borrowing from Socrates, justice can also be good, including the intrinsic choice worthiness of a just soul as it can be chosen by a state to promote happiness, which is different from the goodness or actions of the ruling. Hence, the argument shows that justice is highly valued among philosopher-kings and is not just practiced for being compulsory but also because it is good. Moreover, philosopher-kings will practice justice more because it is something good for oneself, the people and society more than they will practice it as compulsory.

Thakkar, Jonny. 2016. “Moneymakers and Craftsmen: A Platonic Approach to Privatization.” European Journal of Philosophy Vol 24(4), pp; 735-759. DOI: 10.1111/ejop.12133DOI: 10.1111/ejop.12133.

This article uses Plato’s Republic in the economic, political, and capitalist context, which is extensively great to venture and understand the Republic’s applicability and viability in other life spheres related to politics and the ‘ideal’ state. According to the author, public ownership is the way to create a genuine and ideal society or state, creating a state of craftsmen rather than moneymakers, ensuring that every person in the state can easily access a wide variety of goods and services. Looking at this argument, the author tries to show that capitalist and neoliberal states have resulted in high privatization resulting in widening the rich-poor gap and numerous socio-economic and political inequalities. Concisely, this creates an unjust state that needs to be corrected by introducing commons, public ownership, and a culture that views individuals as craftsmen and not moneymakers interested in accumulation and capitalist profits over creating a just state. The author’s arguments present strengths, such as using a Rogerian argument style showing his recommendation’s pros and cons, mostly stating the ethical issues surrounding the individuals in charge of social institutions that are set to promote craftsmanship and public ownership.  The author also connects the main concepts with the Republic showing how money has become central in creating unjust societies relevant in our contemporary world, politicians, and leaders focusing on profits and accumulations in public offices instead of serving the people justly and creating ideal states.

Zuckert, Catherine H. 2017. “Plato’s Republic: The Limits of Politics.” Philosophical Readings Vol IX(I), pp; 1-5. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.826050.

In the Limit of Politics, under the influence and context of the Republic, the author argues and concludes that understanding the concept and applicability of justice is very difficult, as it becomes hard to apply and achieve in communities but can be viable and individuals as a private virtue. Moreover, when creating the ideal city that embodies justice principles, the author recommends having people doing the best by nature where individual and community goodness are the same to achieve a just, true, and ideal city. The arguments made by Zuckert conform to the personal understanding of Plato’s Republic and the opinions made by many authors. The strength of the arguments made is that Zuckert’s line of thought is in line with other authors’ numerous interpretations. For instance, the argument connects Socrates and Plato’s argument of defending justice presented by Kamtekar. For justice to prevail and the ideal city to be created, the goodness of both an individual and the community, which involves being wise, good, and virtuous, breeding effective, and just actions, must be achieved. However, a weakness is that despite recommending having similar individual goodness and the community’s goodness, the author shows the tension between the achievement of the two and does not show how this can be achieved, considering personal interests play a critical role in creating this tension.

Bibliography

Kamtekar, Rachana. 2011. “Ethics and politics in Socrates’ defense of justice.” In Plato’s ‘Republic.’ A Critical Guide, by Mark L. McPherran, 65-82. Cambridge University Press.

Kastely, James L. 2015. The Rhetoric of Plato’s Republic. Democracy and the Philosophical Problem of Persuasion. University of Chicago Press.

McCoy, Marina Berzins. 2020. Image and Argument in Plato’s Republic. New York: State University of New York Press.

Reeve., C. D. C. 2015. “Blindness and Reorientation: Problems in Plato’s Republic.” European Journal of Philosophy Vol 23(51), pp; e1–e22.

Thakkar, Jonny. 2016. “Moneymakers and Craftsmen: A Platonic Approach to Privatization.” European Journal of Philosophy Vol 24(4), pp; 735-759. DOI: 10.1111/ejop.12133DOI: 10.1111/ejop.12133.

Zuckert, Catherine H. 2017. “Plato’s Republic: The Limits of Politics.” Philosophical Readings Vol IX(I), pp; 1-5. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.826050.