"Like so many others, I first encountered classical Christian education in this book. It remains an excellent introduction, in part because it addresses directly the wider cultural milieu, and the need for a "distinctively Christian…"

"Rereading this now, as our school continues to refine its strategic objectives, student goals, and the resulting curriculum objectives. This is a modern text, and more "practical" than some of the books on the "Top 100" list. In…"

"In response to 1, there is, I think, a real similarity in that there is a "turning around," a metanoia of the soul inboth cases.  A chief difference is that Plato clearly insists that there is a capacity to see, it must only be turned…"

"  July 23-29: Books 5-7, focus on Books 6,7 Question #1: ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE: How is learning similar to the illustration uses at the beginning of Book 7 -- that of a man becoming unfettered from chains and out of…"

"P.S. I've actually had more than one student get frustrated by the ending of Book I.  I tell them to wait until Book 2!"

"In response to 2, I see Socratic questioning as "both a blessing and a curse."  It can motivate students to think and enquire, but overuse--to which Socrates sometimes seems prone--can discourage them, too.  As Christians, we…"

"July 16-22: Books 2-4 Question #1: Near the end of Book I, Socrates proclaims that the interlocutors still don't know what justice is.  Some readers may throw up their hands, asking, "What?!  What's the point of all…"

"I see Thrasymachus as utterly amoral--his definition of justice as "the advantage of the stronger" is thoroughly cynical, and even reminds me of the famous Bismarck saying, "A treaty is nothing but a scrap of paper." …"

"Would anyone like to return to question below from Richard? Is Thrasymachus the godfather of Machiavelli and modern politics of realism? What similarities can we observe?  Differences?"

"Yes, I think using the word "foil" hits it on the head . . .. that term was escaping me . . ."

"Yes, Katrina, I agree; don't both serve somewhat as foils in offering "wrong" answers over against the better answers offered later?"

"Richard, I totally think the correlation between Job and the Greek works is legitimate!  Would you say it's fair to say that Cephalus, with his limited-though-well-accepted vision of life may be compared to Job's friends, who claim…"

"The Melian Dialogue, Job (I insist this is a relevant connection) and Thucydides' account of the plague, like the Republic, all raise the question of why one should be just--the motive.  As Calvin, following Augustine's City of God,…"

"Great question regarding Thrasymachus.  Let's branch out a bit: What other historical figures or ideologies do you perceive to have connections with sophistry?  Do you observe any "contemporary…"

"Jacob: Yes, I actually have taught the Melian Dialogue, Antigone, and Book I of the Republic in tandem in my 9th grade ancient humanities classes; the parallel is so intriguing, for students and teacher alike.  It seems to there was a major…"

"Cephalus seems to personify the problem with Athens as Socrates notes in The Apology. He says that he is trying to help Athens to care more for her soul than for her material well-being. Book I helps us see how wealth doesn't make one truly…"