The Republic book club questions

The reading plan

Meeting 1: Books 1 to 3

1. How much should friendship matter when deciding whether an action is just?
2. What would make a ruler's power a fair guide to justice?
3. Can repaying a debt ever conflict with avoiding harm, and how should justice settle that conflict?
4. What would convince you that justice matters without rewards or reputation?
5. What are the strengths and limits of building an account of justice from human needs?

Meeting 2: Books 4 to 6

6. Who should decide what counts as each person's proper work?
7. How should collective happiness be weighed against a person's wishes?
8. How might the idea of proper work support or challenge women's public service?
9. Is civic unity a strong enough reason for communal childrearing?
10. What might guardians gain or lose by sharing family responsibilities?

Meeting 3: Books 7 to 10

11. When should gaining knowledge create a duty to serve in politics?
12. What might mathematics offer guardians that stories and music cannot?
13. How persuasive is the link between political decline and divided souls?
14. What might a city lose when wealth replaces honor as its guiding value?
15. What makes rational self-rule attractive, and what might make it difficult?

Themes to talk about

Tips for the host

1. Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
2. Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.