Michelle in AL Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 (edited) We are using Omnibus 1 which has you read The Last Days of Socrates. TWTM doesn't have that on their list though. Would it be better to read Plato's Republic or Plato's Symposium instead? Edited January 17, 2009 by Michelle in AL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Hmmm...I think I'd vote for The Republic. But I do think it is a good idea to have some background on Socrates (via Plato) which the Last Days would provide. The Republic is the philosophy of society held by Plato. Last Days is more varied in content. Both would be great - I think it comes down to what you are trying to accomplish: a look at Socrates views and life, or Plato's ideology (which will stem from Socrates). If you're teaching to a younger teen, The Last Days might be more accessible... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 :iagree: with Cynthia, well dh does! :lol: I've got reading to do.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 Thanks for the opinions, I have a 7th grader & 9th grader, both who've done well with the reading so far. I might try to read both myself first and decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Michelle I believe Omnibus IV will include The Republic. The Last Days of Socrates was a good fit for my then 7th & 9th graders when we read it in 2006-07. My elder dd has since read and enjoyed The Republic. HTH Moira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 I believe Omnibus IV will include The Republic. Do you know when Omnibus IV is due to be published? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moira in MA Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Do you know when Omnibus IV is due to be published? I believe it is scheduled to be ready for the 2009-2010 school year. They may miss the deadline but they have been very good about getting PDFs to interested parties in the past. I'd contact them directly. Moira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Marple Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 I think those ages would find The Last Days of Socrates to be more interesting. You can always get to The Republic later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 I believe it is scheduled to be ready for the 2009-2010 school year. They may miss the deadline but they have been very good about getting PDFs to interested parties in the past. I'd contact them directly. Moira Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Unless a grade seven student is extraordinarily gifted, I think they would have some trouble with the Republic. Not with reading it (nessearily, though reading the dialougs can be difficult) , but with grappling with the subtext. The Republic uses the question of what is justice to start an extended examination of how human society ought to be organized. Doing the text justice requires a lot of work, indeed, a lot of college freshman and sophomores in a class I TAed for were undone by Plato. The Last Days is more straightforward in approach, and thus could be more easily used by middle school or early high school students, and the issues discussed are no less important. Of course, if you have students with really good anylatically chops, you might read the Republic at 13. But else the last days is a better place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 We are using Omnibus 1 which has you read The Last Days of Socrates. TWTM doesn't have that on their list though. Would it be better to read Plato's Republic or Plato's Symposium instead? If the Last Days of Socrates includes the stuff in the first volume of the Harvard Classics, I'd vote for that. They are a lot shorter than The Republic. I enjoy reading that kind of thing for fun, but got tired of The Republic after a while because of the sweeping assumptions in it (but I ought to go and finish it). It's longer and does have a big subtext to it, as well. Phaedo, for eg, is a much easier read to "get." Also, I had a lot of fun with Socrates' arguments about why he didn't escape (was that in Phaedo or one of the other ones?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra in va Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 We are using Omnibus 1 which has you read The Last Days of Socrates. TWTM doesn't have that on their list though. Would it be better to read Plato's Republic or Plato's Symposium instead? Last Days is listed in the logic stage reading for the Ancients (p.370). We are going to do this with my 7th and 5th graders this year. hth, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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