ABSTRACT

This book examines the relationship between Plato and the Founders of the United States.  It takes the ideas and principles from the ten books of Plato’s Republic, written around 388 BCE and juxtaposes them with the ideas and principles set forth in the eighty-five essays known as the Federalist Papers, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in 1787-1788.  Plato’s Republic sets forth the central problem in the Parable of the Ship of State:  democracies do not generally select the best captains of the ship of state.  The result is often a descent into tyranny and abuse of individual rights and liberties.  The Founders attempted to create a solution to the problem:  a republican form of government.  This book examines the thinking of Plato and the Founders and applies it to the contemporary interface between individuals and the power structures within which they live.  It advocates centerline liberalism as the normative or philosophical ideal.  Centerline liberalism comprises two imperatives:  (1) respect for individuals and (2) effective, but limited power structures.