Eva Brann’s Dialogue

Plato’s Republicbegins with a young boy pulling Socrates’ cloak to get his attention. He was returning to town after attending a festival but Polemarchus and others, refusing to listen to persuasions to the contrary, insist that Socrates stay with them. This exchange begins one of the longest Platonic dialogues, which examines wide-ranging subjects such as justice, education, and philosophy. No one compelled Eva Brann to join a conversation. She willingly took a seat at a seminar table more than sixty years ago at St. John’s College to study and to engage students and colleagues in inquiries into important questions. She has written more than a dozen books, published numerous articles, translated works from Greek and German, and delivered lectures to many audiences on all things related to liberal education. She is also a recipient of the National Humanities Medal.