Plato's The republic
by C. H. Patterson · first published 1963
52% recommend43% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Easy to follow despite its dense philosophy and political theory, this is cited as a foundational text on politics, justice, and leadership, and is worth reading for anyone interested in how societies should be governed.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…trying some of the classics first. Mill, On Liberty. Accessible and incredibly important book for people who live in liberal democracies and want to understand where a lot of their own ideas come from. Plato's Republic. Not as accessible, but very important. Girard has become popular again and has some very unique ideas, so people will probably get a lot out of it. Same for Chesterton. Kafka's Metamorphosis deserves…
on “Mind-expanding books” ↗- A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich - aleksandr solzhenitsyn - Breakfast of champions - Kurt Vonnegut - Plato's the republic - The unfettered mind - Takuan Soho
on “Ask HN: What books have most influenced the way you see the world?” ↗…be a dry and sometimes boring subject but it's absolutely essential if you want to argue, or know the subject of a discussion from its predicate, and best (and most enjoyable) place start is Book 1 of Plato's Republic. No only will you get the structure of formal argument, but this wonderful dialogue between the sophist Thrasymachus and the philosopher Socrates presents one of the most important issues/questions in…
on “Ask HN: Learning about philosophy” ↗Plato's Republic Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil
on “Ask HN: Books that teach you to think” ↗Not really non-fiction, but Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is always a good read. Also if you're just interested in 'stuff', Plato's The Republic is very worth reading : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_%28Plato%29
on “Ask HN: Book Recommendations?” ↗…prison it looks more like one is trying to imprison your opponents rather than having any real concern about justice or integrity. And at that point, things start to get dirty. If you haven't read it - Plato's "The Republic" is amazing, and borderline prophetic. He views political systems as cyclical and views democracy as generally giving way to tyranny in a way that eerily parallels happenings in modern times, especially…
on “Trump's global tariffs struck down by US Supreme Court” ↗…only be given to the clergy and nobles because they know better than the every day person? Politicians have historically been know to be dishonest, self serving, lazy bastards since Socrates time. Read Plato's the Republic. Or hell Caesar and the other two in the triumphant. Do I need to prove business leaders? Really? Do I? And I'm one of them... eh, minus the leader part. But I wont step forward as a saint anytime soon.…
on “Younger Americans less trusting of other people, institutions” ↗Classical works could take you for a spin. Plato's The Republic is deceivingly easy to follow, its format hiding a wealth of philosophy and political theory.
on “Ask HN: book suggestions in non-tech fields (e.g. psychology, philosophy…)” ↗Machiavelli also wrote a "Discourses on Livy", which mixes politcal philosophy lessons with Roman historical examples. I'd recommend Plato's "The Republic". "Mencius" (self-titled work by the Confucian philosopher) and maybe Confucius's "Analects" for political philosophy and leadership. For warfare and strategy, other posters have already said Carl Von…
on “What we get wrong about Machiavelli” ↗…hyperbolic during the time we grew up in. But now? It seems like a scathing, yet completely reasonable, criticism of the current state of media. And this goes on endlessly far back. Read the classics (Plato's "The Republic" feels effectively prophetic at this point) and it goes from sounding alien, during our bubble, to sounding like something oddly familiar. It's quite comforting in a way. We're not stepping into some…
For more on this exact topic I strongly recommend Plato's "The Republic". The entire book is phenomenal, but "book" (chapter) 8 [1] is something that just completely reshaped my world view. There is an occasional reference that will make you think we've genuinely made progress,…
on “Open letter accuses BBC board member of having a conflict of interest on Gaza” ↗Plato's The Republic King Fuzi's The Analects Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics
on “Ask HN: What content/knowledge is most important?” ↗Any reference to Plato's The Republic deserves an upvote.
on “HP Acquires Humane's AI Software” ↗I re-read Plato's The Republic. It's a must read for 0.001% of the population.
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗…Deciders of Truth to band together and decide that anyone who does not pledge allegiance to anything they decide is true will be cast out of society as much as practically possible. I remember reading Plato’s The Republic when I was young and coming away with the impression that arriving at the nature of truth was very complicated and nuanced. Apparently these tech CEOs and their buddies in government have decided to simplify…
on “As a whistleblower prepares to speak out, what can be done to rein in Facebook?” ↗