Plato's Republic A dialogue in 16 chapters

Badiou (philosophy, Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris) is attracted by what he sees as the communist elements in Plato's Republic, but he is repelled by its fascist elements. In Badiou's version, Socrates is given the opportunity to separate himself from the fascist interpretation of his ideas provided by his pupil, Plato. In dealing with the abolition of the family, Badiou's Socrates--who speaks for Badiou in a way that the Platonic Socrates does not clearly speak for Plato--admits to elements of communism that "can only be called horrors." These horrors are "the cross that communism's got to bear." There is some interest in seeing a dedicated communist wrestle with the implications of communism that Plato brings to light in the original dialogue. There is certainly an element of novelty in hearing Socrates quote Mao Zedong, Jacques Lacan, and Immanuel Kant, though Badiou's Socrates does not seem to have taken much interest in the voluminous literature generated by Platonic scholars. Badiou adds a female character, Amantha, to the dialogue, and tries, not always successfully, to make his young people speak the language of young people today. This is a must read for students of Badiou but less so for students of Plato. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, graduate students, and research faculty. C. A. Colmo Dominican University

Badiou (philosophy, Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris; Being and Event) has provided a lively rendering of Plato's Republic. Gone is the ten-part division in favor of 16 chapters, a prolog, and an epilog. There is now a female character, and the cast is much more active-stealing Socrates's lines or vigorously challenging him. Badiou's Republic is more dialectical than Plato's. Badiou's cast members frequently quote thinkers throughout history as contemporaries or near-contemporaries. His Socrates occasionally contracts Plato. Sometimes Badiou's Platonism is more in evidence than Plato's. Most striking is Badiou's counter to the charge that Plato is a sort of proto-fascist, by characterizing the ideal republic as a communist state and equating the tyrannical with the fascist state. Badiou states that in some cases Spitzer's translation enhanced or even improved upon his French; he calls the English version a "hypertranslation." VERDICT Those familiar with Plato's Republic will still hear Plato's voice in this engaging rendition. Recommended for those readers.-James Wetherbee, Wingate Univ. Libs., NC (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.