I've stopped recording regular lectures for class, in lieu of seminars, but here, I'm joined by my friend Antonio Sosa, PhD candidate in politics at University of Dallas, for a conversation of book 4 of the Republic. We discuss:
- how Antonio's concern for the suppression of liberty in contemporary Venezuela led him to political philosophy;
- the dramatic opening of book 4; why Socrates' definition of justice might seem disappointing;
- the relation of the noble lie to the wisdom of the rulers;
- how and why Plato is a "flirtatious" author;
- the Platonic focus on domestic politics and the soul in contrast to the Machiavellian focus on foreign affairs and national strength;
- the nobility and honor-loving character of Socrates's interlocutors;
- last but not least, the study of philosophy in a time of widespread anxiety about death
