The
Republic (,
Politeia;
Latin:
De Republica) is a
Socratic dialogue, written by
Plato around 380 BCE, concerning the definition of
justice (), the order and character of the just
city-state and the just man—for this reason, ancient readers used the name
On Justice as an alternative title (not to be confused with the spurious dialogue also titled
On Justice). The dramatic date of the dialogue has been much debated and though it might have taken place some time during the
Peloponnesian War, "there would be jarring
anachronisms if any of the candidate specific dates between 432 and 404 were assigned". Plato's best-known work, it has proven to be one of the world's most influential works of
philosophy and
political theory, both intellectually and historically. In it,
Socrates along with various Athenians and foreigners discuss the meaning of justice and examine whether or not the just man is happier than the unjust man by considering a series of different cities coming into existence "in speech", culminating in a city called Kallipolis (Καλλίπολις), which is ruled by
philosopher-kings; and by examining the nature of existing regimes. The participants also discuss the
theory of forms, the
immortality of the
soul, and the roles of the philosopher and of
poetry in
society.