The paper discusses Carlo Galli’s book Platone. La necessità della politica, highlighting its most relevant aspects. The author focuses in particular on a) the political (and not only ethical) character of Plato’s dialogue, b) the theme of the beginning of the best city (kallipolis) and the aporetic nature of the origin of philosophical power, c) Plato’s distance from some themes of modern and contemporary political philosophy (equality, liberalism, democracy, rights, etc.).