The Republic is one of those books that transcends through the ages. Despite being over 2000 years old, The Republic still holds up as a pivitol philosophical text. Many readers, like myself, begin reading this dialoug beliving it to be mainly a political work, however despite the political discussion the characters in this dialoug have, The Republic is mainly about the soul and its elevation to its highest potential of virtue. I believe I have now read this dialoug about 4 times now, both in and out of classrooms. Each time I go for another re-read I find something new that enlightens me. This book truly changed how I view the role of government, and my place in society. Our life is full of obligations, I as a citizen have both obilgations to my neighbors and to my government, my neighbors are like wise in the same position, and most importantly our State has an obligation to us. As a warning, The Republic is not a dialoug I recomend to start out with for Plato.