THE REPUBLIC

Narrator Leighton Pugh gives all the interlocutors in Plato’s most important dialogue their own voices. But only Socrates, who does almost all the talking, comes across as a full person: intelligent, moderate in temper, genial, accommodating to his fellows but someone who commands respect and attention. Pugh also distinguishes the minor characters adequately and switches among them skillfully. THE REPUBLIC deals with justice, politics, and education, among many topics, and includes the famous “Allegory of the Cave.” It can be complex, but Pugh’s fine voice, natural pacing, and thoughtful expressiveness help keep the meaning clear, and the nineteenth-century translation is both graceful and lucid. Pugh’s reading demonstrates that philosophy not only can be comprehensible in audio but also enjoyable. W.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2022]