Foundational texts for the Renaissance - Plato
The Plato reading group will be held every Wednesday online on MS Teams between 5 and 6pm (GMT), beginning from the second week of Term 1. We will be reading, in turn, The Republic, Timaeus and Critias. Please contact the organiser if you are interested and they will send you a Teams link for the first session: Stephen Bates (s.m.j.bates@warwick.ac.uk).
Feel free to read in any version or language, however the discussion and comments will be based on Desmond Lee's English translations in the Penguin Classics series: copies are available in the library.
The intended programme is set out below:
Autumn Term
| Week | Date | Reading (Stephanus pagination) | Themes | Pages (2003 edn) |
| 2 | 14 Oct. | Book I (327a-342e) | On morality (诲颈办补颈辞蝉煤苍脓) | pp. 3-24 (21) |
| 3 | 21 Oct. | Book I (343a-354c); Book II (357a-362c) | The ring of Gyges | pp. 24-46 (23) |
| 4 | 28 Oct. | Book II (362c-376c) | Civilised society (kallipolis) | pp. 46-66 (20) |
| 5 | 4 Nov. | Book III (376c-392c) |
On education | pp. 67-85 (19) |
| 6 | 11 Nov. | reading week |
||
| 7 | 18 Nov. | Book III (392c-412b) |
On education | pp. 86-111 (25) |
| 8 | 25 Nov. | Book III (412b-417b); Book IV (419a-427c) | The noble lie | pp. 112-129 (18) |
| 9 | 2 Dec. |
Book IV (427d-441c) | The division of the soul | pp. 130-156 (26) |
| 10 | 9 Dec. | Book IV (441c-461e) | On women | pp. 157-176 (19) |
| Spring Term | ||||
| 1 | 13 Jan. | Book V (461e-474b) | On war | pp. 176-195 (20) |
| 2 | 20 Jan. | Book V (474b-480a); Book VI (484a-497a) | The philosopher-king | pp. 195-219 (24) |
| 3 | 27 Jan. | Book VI (497a-511e) | The analogy of the divided line | pp. 219-240 (21) |
| 4 | 3 Feb. | Book VII (514a-531c) | The allegory of the cave | pp. 240-263 (23) |
| 5 | 10 Feb. | Book VII (531d-541b); Book VIII (543a-550c) | Plato's number | pp. 263-284 (21) |
| 6 | 17 Feb. | reading week | ||
| 7 | 24 Feb. | Book VIII (550c-569c) | Unjust states | pp. 284-308 (24) |
| 8 | 3 Mar. | Book IX (571a-588a) | The tyrant | pp. 308-330 (22) |
| 9 | 10 Mar. | Book IX (588b-592b); Book X (595a-605c) | On art | pp. 330-349 (19) |
| 10 | 17 Mar. | Book X (605c-621d) | The immortality of the soul | pp. 349-368 (20) |
Members of the group are expected to complete the assigned readings prior to each session. During the meeting we will discuss the readings in a friendly and informal environment helping each other make the most out of the text. Though it is very welcome, no prior knowledge or expertise of Plato's works is necessary to participate.
The reading group is open to all interested members of the university including senior and junior academic staff, postgraduate and undergraduate students, along with administrative and support staff. The group also welcomes non-university members.
24.5 - 46 - 67.5 - 89 - 110.5 - 132 - 153.5 - 175 - 196.5 - 218 - 239.5 - 261 - 282.5 - 304 - 325.5 - 347 - 368.5