4 h 29 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Who should rule: the person who follows the law, or the person wise enough to judge beyond it?
In Plato’s Statesman, the Eleatic Stranger and a young mathematician named Socrates ask what a true ruler needs to know. The older Socrates is present but mostly silent. Their task sounds simple: define the statesman. Yet each attempt raises another question about expertise, authority, and what sets political knowledge apart.
The argument takes unexpected paths. The Stranger sorts things into kinds, tells a myth of a world that runs backward, and turns to weaving for a model of rule. As the speakers weigh written law against wise judgment, they ask what makes government sound—and why people should obey its rules at all.
What you’ll discover
- The knowledge behind rule Explore what separates a ruler’s skill from other kinds of knowledge and command.
- An argument taking shape Watch the speakers test definitions, find their limits, and search for a better approach.
- A world running backward Enter the Stranger’s strange myth as he rethinks the image of rulers as shepherds.
- Weaving as a model See how a familiar craft gives the speakers a way to examine political skill.
- Law and living judgment Consider the tension between written rules and the knowledge a wise ruler might bring.
Who will love it
For readers who love watching an argument take shape, and anyone curious about expertise, law and who should rule.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A ruler's skill is a kind of knowledge
- Good division cuts along real joints
- No divine shepherd rules us now
- Weaving is the model for the ruler
- Law is second best to wise judgment
- The statesman weaves opposed natures together
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 4 h 29 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear El político in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
El político
by Platón
The Eleatic Stranger weighs written law against wise judgment to ask what knowledge a true ruler needs.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Statesman is a dialogue by Plato, written in the fourth century BC, in the years of his mature work in Athens. It follows the Sophist and carries on the same conversation.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A ruler's skill is a kind of knowledge
The dialogue opens with a plan. Having tried to define the sophist, the speakers now want to define the statesman, and later the philosopher. The old mathematician Theodorus hands the young Socrates over to the Stranger, and the Stranger asks him to answer questions as they go.
The first move is bold. The Stranger says that a king, a statesman and a household master share one kind of knowledge. All of them know how to direct others, and the size of the group is not the point. A large household is a small city, and a small city is a large household. So the skill of ruling is a form of knowledge, and not merely a matter of power or birth.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about El político
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Plato's Statesman about?
It asks what knowledge a true ruler needs. A visitor called the Eleatic Stranger tries to define the statesman, tells a myth about the world, compares rule to weaving, and discusses law and the kinds of government.
Who is the Eleatic Stranger in Statesman?
He is an unnamed visitor from Elea, a city in southern Italy, who leads the talk. He is linked with the school of Parmenides. Socrates is present but mostly listens, and the young Socrates answers the Stranger.
Is Statesman a sequel to the Sophist?
Yes. The Statesman picks up the same conversation, with the same people and the same method of division. Plato planned a series on the sophist, the statesman and the philosopher, but no dialogue called Philosopher survives.
More by Platón
All 28 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
