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Plato's Republic (Allan Bloom)

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“Too much freedom seems to change into nothing but too much slavery, both for private men and the city." – Socrates, Plato's Republic
Here we have Socrates' warning about democracy – "the most beautiful of regimes" which "contains all species of regimes, thanks to its license". But Socrates is not only talking about the democractic city, but also the democratic soul – ie, the way of life of a person who arranges their own self democratically.
Democracy has conquered the modern world, and if anything "internet values" and "crypto values" are even more purely democratic. What are the benefits of democracy, both as a way of arranging societies and as a way of arranging ourselves? And what are the possible dangers of complete commitment to freedom?

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To read about the Great Books Stream series as a whole, visit the introductory note.

Great Books Club #7 - Socrates on Democracy