Sidgwick and the Grotes on Plato’s Republic: A Dialogue

Abstract

As the first article in its March 1889 issue, The Classical Review published a short piece jointly authored by Henry Sidgwick and John Grote: a dialogue between Socrates and friends and John’s brother, George Grote. This brief but complex and playful dialogue is a microcosm of a broader discussion between a group of friends, colleagues, and relatives in the third quarter of the nineteenth century about individual happiness, justice and the good of the community. This article introduces the dialogue and places it in the context of two important wider debates in order to show how this brief dialogue illuminates the intellectual milieu of the time and the personalities involved. The first is a debate about how to read and engage with Plato’s philosophical dialogues. The second is a debate about utilitarianism, the nature of happiness, and the correct end of human actions.