Poatina Philosophy Club
A place to read, question and think together.
About the Club
Philosophy begins with questions — and sometimes the best way to explore them is in good company.
Poatina Philosophy Club is a free, informal community reading group. We meet monthly to explore philosophy through shared reading and conversation. Our first gathering is in early December 2026.
I facilitate the group as a local resident and fellow reader. The club is independent of my professional practice, John Doig — Soul Accompaniment.
We read slowly, discuss openly and make room for different perspectives. You don't need any previous knowledge of philosophy—just curiosity and a willingness to join the conversation.
Plato's Republic
Six monthly gatherings exploring one of the most influential works of ancient philosophy.
What is justice? What makes a good life? How should we educate ourselves and one another? And what kind of society should we seek to create?
We explore these questions together over six meetings, reading the Republic in sections and allowing plenty of room for discussion.
What Is Justice?
What does it mean to be just, and why should we choose justice over injustice?
Education & the Soul
Education, virtue, and the relationship between the individual and the community.
Knowledge & the Good
Philosophers, knowledge, and Plato's extraordinary account of the Good.
The Allegory of the Cave
Appearance and reality, education, and the journey towards understanding.
Democracy & Tyranny
Political life, desire, freedom, and what it means to live well.
Poetry, Myth & the Soul
Plato's treatment of poetry, the Myth of Er, and our concluding reflections.
Reading Plato's Republic
I've gathered these texts, translations, articles and lectures as companions to our reading. They offer different ways into Plato's Republic, with room for us to form and discuss our own responses.
Many Ways of Reading Plato
There is no single, uncontested way of reading Plato's Republic. Across centuries, readers have approached the dialogue from many different directions, discovering questions about justice, political life, education, the soul, knowledge, imagination and the nature of reality.
Some have understood the Republic primarily as a work of political philosophy; others have found in it a profound exploration of the human soul. Still others have questioned whether Plato's arguments should always be taken at face value, attending instead to the dramatic, literary and sometimes ironic character of the dialogue.
The resources below offer a few possible ways into the text, but none should be regarded as providing its definitive interpretation.
Our aim is not to arrive at a single agreed reading of Plato, but to encounter the dialogue together, question its arguments, consider different perspectives, and see where the conversation takes us.
Read the Text for Free
You don't need to purchase a book to participate. The complete dialogue is freely available in English and in the original Ancient Greek. You're welcome to use whichever edition or translation you prefer.
Benjamin Jowett's nineteenth-century English translation. Read online or download in several formats. The language is sometimes dated, but the complete text is freely available.
Plato's original Greek text, freely available online.
Where helpful, we can use standard Stephanus numbers to locate passages across different editions and translations.
Choosing a Translation of the Republic
If you would like a printed copy, these four translations offer different ways of encountering Plato's dialogue. You are welcome to use any edition, borrow one from a library, or read the free text linked above. No purchase is necessary to participate.
Republic
Clear, contemporary dialogue with helpful introductory and reference material. A welcoming starting point for readers new to Plato.
Find this edition on Amazon ↗Republic
Fluid, accessible English supported by explanatory notes and an introduction. Particularly useful for readers who appreciate historical and philosophical context.
Find this edition on Amazon ↗The Republic
A lively, literary translation, edited by G. R. F. Ferrari, that preserves the conversational movement of the text while supporting close philosophical reading.
Find this edition on Amazon ↗The Republic of Plato
A deliberately close translation accompanied by a substantial interpretive essay. Suited to readers who want to examine Plato's wording and arguments in depth.
Find this edition on Amazon ↗As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Amazon links above are affiliate links; purchasing through them may support the club at no additional cost to you. Buying a book is entirely optional.
Explore the Philosophy
These introductory and scholarly resources provide historical context and explore some of the dialogue's central questions.
An introduction to the dialogue, its structure, arguments and philosophical questions.
A detailed examination of justice, the ideal city, the soul, education and the Good.
A broader introduction to Plato, his writings, the dialogue form, and the interpretation of his work.
Watch & Listen
Plato's Republic continues to invite different approaches and interpretations. These lectures offer opportunities to explore its arguments, images and questions. Each presenter brings a particular perspective to the text. The videos are invitations to further exploration, not definitive explanations.
Michael Sugrue — Plato's Republic
A three-part lecture series exploring the dialogue from its opening discussion of justice through its account of the soul, knowledge and reality.
Justice, Power, and Knowledge
The opening discussion of justice, the challenge of power, and Socrates' philosophical inquiry.
Watch on YouTube ↗
Soul and City
The relationship between the individual soul and the city, including education, virtue, justice and political order.
Watch on YouTube ↗
The Architecture of Reality
Knowledge, reality, the Good, and the philosophical vision developed in the later books of the Republic.
Watch on YouTube ↗Another Perspective
A further video guide to explore alongside the lecture series.
Plato's Republic: An In-Depth Guide
Another opportunity to explore the dialogue and consider its philosophical questions through a different presentation.
Watch on YouTube ↗These videos are shared as supplementary educational resources. Their inclusion does not imply affiliation with or endorsement of the Poatina Philosophy Club by their creators.
All supplementary resources are optional. There is no expectation that participants will read or watch anything beyond the agreed sections of the Republic itself. Our gatherings will centre on the dialogue and the questions that emerge from reading it together.
Our Gatherings
A monthly opportunity to slow down, read together, and enjoy thoughtful conversation.
I help open the conversation with questions about our agreed section of the text, and we follow the discussion together. You don't need to arrive with answers — curiosity and a willingness to listen are more than enough.
Exact date and venue to be confirmed
Participation is free. I share meeting details with everyone who registers their interest. After our six gatherings on Plato, we decide together what we'd like to read next.