The Republic — Page 1
The Republic of Plato is the longest of his works with the exception of the Laws, and is certainly the greatest of them.
Platons Republik ist das längste seiner Werke mit Ausnahme der Gesetze und gewiss das bedeutendste von ihnen.
There are nearer approaches to modern metaphysics in the Philebus and in the Sophist; the Politicus or Statesman is more ideal; the form and institutions of the State are more clearly drawn out in the Laws; as works of art, the Symposium and the Protagoras are of higher excellence.
Im Philebos und im Sophistes finden sich engere Annäherungen an die moderne Metaphysik; der Politikos oder Staatsmann ist idealer; die Form und die Einrichtungen des Staates sind in den Gesetzen klarer herausgearbeitet; als Kunstwerke stehen das Symposion und der Protagoras auf höherem Niveau.
But no other Dialogue of Plato has the same largeness of view and the same perfection of style; no other shows an equal knowledge of the world, or contains more of those thoughts which are new as well as old, and not of one age only but of all.
Aber kein anderer Dialog Platons besitzt dieselbe Weite des Blicks und dieselbe Vollkommenheit des Stils; kein anderer zeigt eine gleiche Kenntnis der Welt oder enthält mehr jener Gedanken, die ebenso neu wie alt sind und nicht nur einer einzigen Epoche angehören, sondern allen.
Nowhere in Plato is there a deeper irony or a greater wealth of humour or imagery, or more dramatic power.
Nirgendwo bei Platon findet sich eine tiefere Ironie oder ein größerer Reichtum an Humor oder Bildsprache oder mehr dramatische Kraft.
Nor in any other of his writings is the attempt made to interweave life and speculation, or to connect politics with philosophy.
Auch in keinem anderen seiner Werke wird der Versuch unternommen, Leben und Spekulation miteinander zu verweben oder Politik mit Philosophie zu verbinden.
The Republic is the centre around which the other Dialogues may be grouped; here philosophy reaches the highest point (cp, especially in Books V, VI, VII) to which ancient thinkers ever attained.
Die Republik ist das Zentrum, um das sich die anderen Dialoge gruppieren lassen; hier erreicht die Philosophie den höchsten Punkt (vgl. besonders in den Büchern V, VI, VII), den antike Denker je erlangt haben.
Plato among the Greeks, like Bacon among the moderns, was the first who conceived a method of knowledge, although neither of them always distinguished the bare outline or form from the substance of truth; and both of them had to be content with an abstraction of science which was not yet realized.
Platon unter den Griechen war, wie Bacon unter den Neueren, der Erste, der eine Methode der Erkenntnis entwarf, obwohl keiner von beiden stets den bloßen Umriss oder die Form vom Gehalt der Wahrheit unterschied; und beide mussten sich mit einer Abstraktion der Wissenschaft begnügen, die noch nicht verwirklicht war.
Vocabulary
- Republik
- Republic; title of Plato's famous philosophical dialogue
- längste
- Longest; superlative adjective describing length
- Werke
- Works; plural noun referring to literary or artistic creations
- Ausnahme
- Exception; something excluded from a general rule
- Gesetze
- Laws; plural noun, also title of Plato's dialogue
- gewiss
- Certainly; adverb expressing confidence or certainty
- bedeutendste
- Most significant; superlative of 'bedeutend' (significant)
- engere
- Closer, narrower; comparative adjective of 'eng'
- Annäherungen
- Approximations, approaches; plural noun meaning drawing closer
- moderne
- Modern; adjective describing something contemporary or current
- Metaphysik
- Metaphysics; branch of philosophy exploring fundamental reality
- Staatsmann
- Statesman; a skilled and experienced political leader
- idealer
- Ideal; adjective describing something perfectly conceived
- Form
- Form, shape; noun describing structure or appearance
- Einrichtungen
- Institutions, arrangements; plural noun for organized structures
- Staates
- Of the state; genitive form of 'Staat' (state, country)
- Gesetzen
- Laws; dative plural of 'Gesetz'
- klarer
- More clearly; comparative adverb of 'klar' (clear)
- herausgearbeitet
- Worked out, elaborated; past participle of 'herausarbeiten'
- Kunstwerke
- Works of art; plural noun for artistic creations
- höherem
- Higher; dative comparative adjective of 'hoch'
- Niveau
- Level, standard; noun indicating quality or degree
- Dialog
- Dialogue; a written or spoken conversation between parties
- besitzt
- Possesses; third-person singular of 'besitzen' (to own)
- dieselbe
- The same; demonstrative pronoun indicating identity
- Weite
- Breadth, expanse; noun describing wide range or scope
- Blicks
- Of the gaze/view; genitive of 'Blick' (glance, perspective)
- Vollkommenheit
- Perfection; noun denoting the state of being flawless
- Stils
- Of the style; genitive of 'Stil' (style, manner of writing)
- gleiche
- Equal, same; adjective indicating equivalence or similarity
- Kenntnis
- Knowledge, awareness; familiarity with a subject or topic
- enthält
- Contains; third-person singular of 'enthalten' (to contain)
- jener
- Those, that; demonstrative pronoun referring to something distant
- Gedanken
- Thoughts, ideas; plural noun referring to mental concepts
- ebenso
- Just as, equally; adverb indicating equal degree or manner
- einzigen
- Single, sole; adjective emphasizing uniqueness or exclusivity
- Epoche
- Epoch, era; a distinct period in history or time
- angehören
- To belong to; verb indicating membership or affiliation
- sondern
- But rather; conjunction contrasting a negative with a positive
- Nirgendwo
- Nowhere; adverb indicating absence in any place
- tiefere
- Deeper; comparative adjective of 'tief' (deep)
- Ironie
- Irony; a literary device implying the opposite of what is said
- größerer
- Greater, larger; comparative adjective of 'groß'
- Reichtum
- Wealth, richness; abundance of resources or qualities
- Humor
- Humor; quality of being amusing or comically perceptive
- Bildsprache
- Imagery, figurative language; use of vivid descriptive expressions
- dramatische
- Dramatic; adjective relating to theatre or intense expression
- Kraft
- Strength, power, force; noun describing energy or capability
- Versuch
- Attempt, experiment; noun for trying to do something
- unternommen
- Undertaken; past participle of 'unternehmen' (to undertake)
- Spekulation
- Speculation; theoretical reasoning without firm factual basis
- miteinander
- With each other; adverb indicating mutual interaction
- verweben
- To interweave; to combine elements closely together
- Politik
- Politics; activities related to governance and public affairs
- Philosophie
- Philosophy; study of fundamental questions about existence and knowledge
- verbinden
- To connect, unite; to link things or ideas together
- Zentrum
- Center; noun referring to the middle point of something
- Dialoge
- Dialogues; plural noun for philosophical or literary conversations
- gruppieren
- To group; to arrange or organize into groups
- lassen
- To let, allow; modal verb permitting or causing action
- erreicht
- Reached, attained; past participle of 'erreichen' (to reach)
- höchsten
- Highest; superlative adjective or adverb of 'hoch' (high)
- Punkt
- Point; noun indicating a specific location or moment
- besonders
- Especially, particularly; adverb emphasizing importance
- antike
- Ancient; adjective referring to classical antiquity
- Denker
- Thinker; noun referring to a person who engages in deep thought
- je
- Ever; adverb used in comparisons or questions
- erlangt
- Attained, achieved; past participle of 'erlangen' (to attain)
- Griechen
- Greeks; plural noun referring to people of ancient or modern Greece
- Neueren
- Modern ones; noun referring to more recent thinkers or times
- Methode
- Method; a systematic procedure for achieving a goal
- Erkenntnis
- Knowledge, insight; understanding gained through inquiry
- entwarf
- Drafted, designed; simple past of 'entwerfen' (to design)
- obwohl
- Although; subordinating conjunction introducing a concession
- beiden
- Both; pronoun or adjective referring to two things together
- stets
- Always, constantly; adverb indicating uninterrupted continuity
- bloßen
- Mere, bare; adjective meaning nothing more than what is stated
- Umriss
- Outline, sketch; a rough or basic description of something
- Gehalt
- Content, substance; the essential meaning or value of something
- Wahrheit
- Truth; the quality of being in accordance with reality
- unterschied
- Distinguished; simple past of 'unterscheiden' (to distinguish)
- beide
- Both; pronoun referring to two previously mentioned entities
- mussten
- Had to; simple past of 'müssen' (must, to have to)
- Abstraktion
- Abstraction; the process of forming general concepts from specifics
- Wissenschaft
- Science, scholarship; systematic study of the natural world
- begnügen
- To be content with; to settle for something available
- verwirklicht
- Realized, implemented; past participle of 'verwirklichen'
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