The Republic is arguably Plato’s most important work and was written in his middle period, around 370-5 BC. It is a philosophical masterpiece containing acute political theory as well as being great literature, and as such is not easily understood on first acquaintance. It has as its central problem the nature of justice. In a word, what is justice? The central character is said to be Socrates, Plato’s own teacher as a young man, whom he had seen tried and executed for his politics and religion. The Republic is an examination of the figure of the philosopher, an examination of metaphysics, and epistemology and is confirmation of Plato’s dedication to formulating a society based on eternal ideas of truth, goodness and justice.

The SCM Briefly series is a series of summarized texts that are commonly used on the philosophy and philosophy of religion A level and Level One undergraduate courses in the UK. As students are less likely today to come to these subjects with language experience, the Briefly series, summarising the meaning of the original texts, is a painless and quick way to get to grips with what the philosophers were writing about. The language throughout is modern and approachable, but the books manage to avoid “dumbing down” by including line by line analysis and short quotes to give students a feel for the original. In addition each book begins with an introduction, which provides a context for the writer and his writings, the chapters contain summaries to ensure the student has a context for that particular piece of writing, and each book also contains a glossary of terms.