ABSTRACT
Greek philosophical and political thought possesses such a richness and variety as to make it the greatest source of inspiration for utopian writers throughout the ages. It is not always easy to determine which works can be considered as utopias, for the difference between imaginary and historical accounts is sometimes a very tenuous one. The period in which Plato wrote The Republic was one of decline in Greek history. The mind of the defeated is often fascinated by the power of the conquerors, and when Plato came to build his ideal city he turned to Sparta for a model. Plato represented a reaction against the major trends of philosophical thought in his time, for he believed in moral and external compulsion, in inequality and authority, in strict laws and immovable institutions, and in the superiority of the Greeks over the “barbarians.” Plato has been described as being “in some respects the greatest of revolutionaries, in others the greatest of reactionaries”.
