ABOUT PLATO’S VISUAL UTOPIA
This post lists some of the most important data about my book Plato’s Visual Utopia.
The book is a visual literature book. I synthesized Plato’s Republic by providing the reader with a fresh look at the essence of the Republic. I accomplished this by writing a short novella and then illustrating it. And that provides the explanatory visual context. In addition, the book also explores the duality between Utopia and Dystopia.
I consider the book to be an art book. It is narrative art in word and image, depicting a search for Utopia.
Synopsis
Plato’s Visual Utopia is a novella that features an explorer who is traveling within a dream in perpetual search of Utopia. The traveler has mixed search results. While some of the traveler’s experiences are positive and fall in the realm of Utopia, others are just bad Dystopias. In his travels, the protagonist reaches Kallipolis where he meets Plato. And in his dream he engages the philosopher in a dialogue, to learn about the philosophers’ Ideal City.
Plato’s imagination spurring metaphors in the Republic was truly worth visualizing through allegorical illustrations. (“In the Socratic dialogue Republic, the Greek philosopher Plato envisioned and proposed a utopian city-state ruled by a particular class of citizens who possess a firm grip of philosophy. He called the city “Kallipolis” and the rulers “philosopher kings” who are trained under a specialized 50-year-long scholastic program”. The above excerpt is from Plato: The Philosopher Kings of Kallipolis by Haroun Alfarsi)
The message of the book
All utopias start with an idea and a dream. Humanity has always been searching for Utopian ideas. The search continues.
Related Posts
Also, read the related Blog posts as follows: Plato’s Academia, Plato and Justice, Plato’s Duality, Plato’s Imitation Theory, The Republic Lead subjects, Plato’s Regimes, Art as Imitation, Duality in Plato’s Republic, Plato and Art, Dystopia Connotations, Utopia Connotations, What is Utopia, Plato’s Republic, Who was Plato
Featured image “Utopia Dystopia” illustration by the author and artist Daniel Heller.
