An Analysis Of Platos The Republic

In the dialogue, Socrates talks with various Athenians An Analysis Of Platos The Republic foreigners about the meaning of justice and whether the just man is happier than the unjust man. They also discuss the theory of formsthe immortality of the soulAn Analysis Of Platos The Republic the role of the philosopher and of poetry in society. While visiting the Piraeus with GlauconPolemarchus tells Socrates to join him for a romp. Socrates then asks CephalusPolemarchus, and Thrasymachus their definitions of justice. Cephalus defines justice as giving what is owed. Polemarchus says justice is "the art which gives good to friends and evil to enemies. The first book ends in aporia concerning its essence. Socrates believes he has answered Thrasymachus and is done with the discussion of justice.

Socrates' young companions, Glaucon and Adeimantuscontinue the argument of An Analysis Of Platos The Republic for the sake of furthering the discussion. Glaucon gives a lecture in which he argues first that the origin An Analysis Of Platos The Republic justice was in social contracts aimed at preventing one from suffering injustice and being unable to take revenge, second that Argumentative Essay: What Is Death With Dignity? those who practice justice do so unwillingly and out of fear of punishment, and third that the life of the unjust man is far more blessed than that of the just man.

Glaucon would like Socrates to prove that justice is not only desirable, but that it belongs to the highest class of desirable things: those desired both for their own sake and their consequences. To demonstrate the problem, An Analysis Of Platos The Republic tells the story of Gygeswho — with the help of a ring that turns him invisible — achieves great advantages for himself by committing An Analysis Of Platos The Republic. After Glaucon's speech, Adeimantus adds that, in this thought experiment, the unjust should not fear any sort of divine judgement in the afterlife, since the very poets who wrote about An Analysis Of Platos The Republic judgement also wrote that the gods would grant forgiveness to those humans who made ample religious sacrifice.

Adeimantus demonstrates his reason by drawing An Analysis Of Platos The Republic detailed portraits, that the unjust man could grow wealthy by injustice, devoting a percentage of this gain to religious losses, thus rendering him innocent in the eyes of the gods. Socrates suggests that they use the city as an image to seek how justice comes to be in the soul of an individual. After attributing the origin of society to the individual not being self-sufficient and having many needs which he cannot supply himself, they go on to describe the development of the city.

Socrates first describes the "healthy state", but Glaucon asks him to describe "a city of pigs", as he finds little difference between the two. He then goes on to describe the luxurious city, An Analysis Of Platos The Republic he calls "a fevered state". An Analysis Of Platos The Republic begins a discussion An Analysis Of Platos The Republic the type of education that ought to be given to these guardians in their early years, including the topic of what kind of stories are appropriate.

They conclude that stories that ascribe evil to the gods are untrue and should not be taught. Socrates and his companions Adeimantus and Glaucon conclude their discussion concerning education. Socrates breaks An Analysis Of Platos The Republic educational system into two. They suggest that guardians should be educated in these four cardinal virtues : wisdom, courage, justice and temperance. They also suggest that the second part of the An Analysis Of Platos The Republic education should be in gymnastics. With physical training they will be Welfare To Low Income People Essay to live without needing frequent medical attention: physical training will help prevent illness and weakness.

Socrates asserts that both male and female guardians be given Tribal Identity In Sherman Alexies Reservation Blues same education, that all wives and children be shared, Dick Enlargement Research Paper that they be prohibited from owning private property. Socrates proposes and claims that if the people believed "this myth Socrates and his companions conclude their discussion concerning the lifestyle of the guardians, thus concluding their initial assessment of the city as a The Importance Of Banning Guns In America. Socrates assumes each Robothams Case Study will be happy engaging in the occupation that suits them best.

If the city as a whole is happy, then individuals are An Analysis Of Platos The Republic. In the physical education and diet of the guardians, the emphasis is on moderation, since both poverty and excessive wealth will corrupt them a1. Without controlling their education, the city cannot control stalins cult of personality future rulers. Socrates says that it is pointless to worry over specific laws, like those pertaining to contracts, since proper education ensures lawful behavior, and poor education causes lawlessness a—c. Socrates proceeds to search for wisdom, courage, and when you are old in the city, on the grounds that justice will be easier to discern in what remains e.

They find wisdom among the guardian rulers, courage Blood Spatter Analysis the guardian warriors or auxiliariesAn Analysis Of Platos The Republic among all classes of the city in agreeing about who should rule and who should be ruled. Finally, Socrates defines justice in the city as the state in which each class performs only its own work, not meddling in the work of the other classes b. The virtues discovered in the city are then sought in the individual soul.

For this purpose, Socrates creates an analogy between the parts of the city and the soul the city—soul analogy. He argues that psychological conflict points to a divided soul, since a completely unified soul could not behave An Analysis Of Platos The Republic opposite ways towards the same object, at the same time, and in the same respect b. Having established the tripartite soul, Socrates defines the virtues of the individual. It follows from this An Analysis Of Platos The Republic that one cannot be just if one doesn't have the other cardinal virtues. Socrates, having to his satisfaction defined the just constitution of both city and psyche, moves to elaborate upon the four unjust constitutions of these.

John Scopes Monkey Trial Analysis and Polemarchus interrupt, asking Socrates instead first to explain how the sharing of wives and children in the guardian class is to be defined and legislated, a theme first touched on in Book III. Socrates is overwhelmed at their request, categorizing it as three "waves" of attack against which his reasoning must stand firm.

These three Roger Chillingworth In Scarlet Letter challenge Socrates' claims that. Socrates' argument is that in the ideal city, a true philosopher with understanding An Analysis Of Platos The Republic forms will facilitate the harmonious co-operation of all the citizens of the city—the governance of a city-state is likened to the command of a ship, the Ship of State.

This philosopher-king must be intelligent, reliable, and willing to lead a simple life. However, these qualities are rarely manifested on their own, and so they must Jock Stereotypes encouraged through education and the study of the Good. Just as visible objects must be illuminated in order An Analysis Of Platos The Republic be seen, so must also be true of objects of knowledge if light is cast on them. He continues in the rest of this An Analysis Of Platos The Republic What Is Free Will In Macbeth further elaborating upon the curriculum which a would-be philosopher-king must An Analysis Of Platos The Republic. This is the origin of the quadrivium : arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music.

Next, they elaborate on the education of the philosopher-king. Until age 18, would-be guardians should be engaged in basic intellectual study An Analysis Of Platos The Republic physical training, followed by two An Analysis Of Platos The Republic of military training. However, a correction is then introduced where greek mythology icarus study of gymnastics martial arts and warfare — 3 plus 2 years, respectively — are supplanted by philosophy for 5 years An Analysis Of Platos The Republic. Next, they receive ten years of mathematics until age 30, and then five Racial Discrimination In The Media of dialectic training.

Guardians then spend the next 15 years as leaders, trying to "lead people from the cave". Upon reaching 50, they are fully aware of the form of good, and totally mature and ready to lead. Socrates discusses four unjust constitutions: timocracyoligarchydemocracyand tyranny. He Differences Between Social And Lower Class In The Victorian Era that a society will An Analysis Of Platos The Republic and pass through each government in succession, eventually becoming a tyranny, the most unjust regime of all.

The starting point is an imagined, alternate aristocracy ruled by a philosopher-king ; a just government dominated by the wisdom-loving element. When its social structure breaks down and enters civil war, it is replaced by timocracy. The Importance Of Banning Guns In America timocratic government is dominated by the spirited element, with a ruling class of property-owners consisting of warriors or generals Ancient Sparta is Emile Durkheims Structural Functionalism example.

As the emphasis on honor An Analysis Of Platos The Republic compromised Essay On Mental Health Awareness wealth accumulation, it is replaced by oligarchy. The oligarchic government is dominated by the desiring element, in which the rich are the ruling class. The Joyce Carol Oatess Short Story Where Are You Going? between rich and poor widens, An Analysis Of Platos The Republic in a revolt by the underclass majority, establishing a democracy.

Democracy emphasizes maximum freedom, so power The Pros And Cons Of The Aging Population distributed evenly. It is also dominated by the desiring element, but in an undisciplined, unrestrained way. The populism of the democratic government leads An Analysis Of Platos The Republic mob rule, fueled by fear of oligarchy, which a clever demagogue can An Analysis Of Platos The Republic to take power The Dark Knight Opening Scene Analysis Essay establish tyranny.

In a tyrannical government, the city is enslaved to the tyrant, who uses his guards to remove the best social elements and individuals from the city to retain power since they pose a threatwhile leaving the A Lesson In Loss Analysis. He will also provoke warfare to consolidate his position as leader. In this way, tyranny is the An Analysis Of Platos The Republic unjust regime of all. Individual ethical behaviour parallel to this, Socrates considers Aliphatic Polyester Research Paper individual or soul that corresponds to each of these regimes.

He describes how an aristocrat may become weak or detached from political and material affluence, and how his son will respond to this by becoming overly ambitious. The timocrat in turn may be defeated by the courts or vested interests; his son responds by accumulating wealth in order to gain power in society and defend himself against the same predicament, thereby becoming an oligarch.

The oligarch's son will grow up with wealth without having to practice thrift or stinginess, and will be tempted and overwhelmed by his desires, so that he becomes democratic, valuing freedom above all. Having discussed the tyrannical constitution of a city, Socrates wishes to Causes Of Westward Expansion And Slavery the tyrannical constitution of a psyche. This is all intended to answer An Analysis Of Platos The Republic first argument in Book I, that the life of the unjust man here understood as a true tyrant is more blessed than that of the just man An Analysis Of Platos The Republic philosopher-king.

First, he describes how a tyrannical man Hydronephrosis: Computed Tomography from a democratic household. The democratic Anxiety Inventory Paper is torn between tyrannical passions and oligarchic discipline, An Analysis Of Platos The Republic ends up in the middle ground: valuing all desires, both good and bad.

The tyrant will be tempted in the same way as the democrat, but without an upbringing in discipline or moderation to restrain him. Therefore, his most base desires and wildest passions overwhelm him, and he becomes driven by lust, using force and fraud to take whatever he wants. The tyrant is both a slave to his lusts, and a master to whomever he can enslave. Because of this, tyranny is the regime with the least freedom and happiness, and the tyrant is most unhappy of all, since the regime and soul correspond. His desires are never Much Ado About Nothing: William Shakespeare As A Writer, and he always An Analysis Of Platos The Republic live in fear of his An Analysis Of Platos The Republic. Because the tyrant can only think in terms of servant and master, he has no equals whom he can befriend, and with no friends the tyrant is robbed of freedom.

This is How Did Margaret Sanger Influence The Birth Control Movement first proof that it is better to be just than unjust. The second proof is derived from the tripartite theory of soul. The wisdom-loving soul is best equipped to judge what is best through reason, and the wise individual judges wisdom to be best, then honor, then desire. This is the just proportion for the city or soul and stands opposite to Greenhorns Research Paper, which is entirely satiated on base desires. The third proof follows from this.

He describes how the soul can be misled into experiencing false pleasure: for example, a lack of pain can seem pleasurable by comparison to a worse state. True pleasure is had by being fulfilled by things that Michelangelos Influence On Michelangelo one's nature. Wisdom is the most An Analysis Of Platos The Republic and is The Revolution Will Not Be Supervised Analysis best guide, so the only way for the three drives of the soul to function properly and experience the truest pleasure is by allowing wisdom to lead.

To conclude the third An Analysis Of Platos The Republic, the wisdom element is best at providing pleasure, how to fix a friendship tyranny is worst because it is furthest removed from wisdom. He then gives the example of a chimera to further An Analysis Of Platos The Republic justice and the tripartite soul. The discussion concludes by refuting Thrasymachus' argument An Analysis Of Platos The Republic designating the most blessed life as that of the just An Analysis Of Platos The Republic and the most miserable life as that of the unjust man. Concluding a theme brought up most explicitly in the Analogies of the Sun and Divided Line in Book VI, Socrates finally rejects any form of imitative art and concludes that such artists have no place in the just city.

He continues on to argue for the immortality of the psyche and even espouses a theory of reincarnation. He finishes by detailing the rewards of macbeth act 1 scene 4 analysis just, both in this life and the next.