The aim of this book is to provide a clear and systematic introduction to the Republic. It will be useful for those coming to the work for the first time, or with little or no philosophical background, but it contains much of interest to more advanced students, and those already familiar with the work. The author has stressed Plato`s desire to stimulate philosophical thinking in his readers, rather than putting forward dogmatic solutions to moral and political problems. The book brings out the coherence and interest of Plato`s main moral argument, while other themes in this complex book are also fully discussed: among these are Plato`s views on education, his theory of human motivation, and his account of knowledge and understanding. In spite of his authoritarian solutions to political problems, Plato`s main concern is with the moral development of the individual. The author shows that modern moral philosophy still has much to learn from his attempt to move concern from questions of what acts the just person ought to perform, to the more profound question of what sort of person the just person ought to be.