Module 2: Plato and The Republic - Is a product of the years of Plato’s early maturity

and speculative vigor

Plato - Considered education, economics, moral
- 427- 347 BC philosophy, history, metaphysics, and most
- Born of aristocratic Athenian parents and human preoccupations significant in the
prepared for a career in public service development of social life
(influenced by the military successes of Athens in - To Plato it was inconceivable that a treatise on
the Peloponnesian campaign, 431- 404 BC) the good life could be developed outside of the
- Critias: his uncle; part of the Thirty Tyrants framework of the state
- Mentored by Socrates - The good life & good citizenship: meant the
- Plato abandoned Athens to travel and learn but same thing
carried with him the basic tenet of Socratic - Despite its utopian qualities, Plato intended for
thought: virtue is knowledge The Republic to be a scientific approach to the
- The death of Socrates impacted him greatly; discovery of truth
upon his execution, Plato travelled extensively in - Plato assumed that there is a good, that there
the pursuit of knowledge and philosophical are truths which, if discovered and implemented,
insight will create and preserve the good life in the good
- Southern Italy: studied doctrines of the mystic state
Pythagorean society (stresses the class structure - Plato was aware that no ideal state such as his
and mathematics) Republic existed but he was convinced that it
- Egypt: likely where Plato received instruction in should
mathematics Plato’s Philosophy in The Republic:
- Syracuse: Plato incurred the anger of Dionysus I
by lecturing him on the proper methods of - Politics is an art, and with all arts its successful
rulership; Plato was enslaved but later ransomed practice demands expert knowledge
by friends and returned to Athens - Plato attacked the democratic system of Athens
- Return to Athens: founded the Academy (it’s reliance on “happy versatility”), the principle
that government by the civic-minded amateur is
Works and Writings best
a. The Republic - Compared the statesman’s art to the physician
- Most famous dialogue - The ability to govern depends upon a knowledge
- Explores the nature of justice of principles which must be apprehended by
intelligent men through rational processes
b. Phaedrus - Plato regarded public opinion as incompetent
c. Symposium and incapable of directing policy for the state
d. Phaedo - Virtue is knowledge
e. Timaeus - Represents Plato’s search for justice

The Theory of Ideas (from the book Phaedo) Setting of The Republic

- The physical world is just a reflection of a higher - Is set in the home of Cephalus
realm of unchangeable ideas or forms - Cephalus: an old and wealthy man who has
- Ideas represented the ultimate reality turned to religion and philosophy to comfort his
- The material world is an imperfect imitation of old age
these perfect forms - Socrates elicits Cepahlus’ view that justice
consists of speaking the truth and paying one’s
Allegory of the Cave debts (the scene sets for the unfolding of the
dialogue which discloses both Plato’s view of
- Our perceptions can limit our reality justice and his plan for the ideal state)
- Polemarchus, son of Cephalus: Agrees with his
father (“Justice is giving to every man his due”)
Plato’s Academy - Socrates: disagrees with Polemarchus; both
agree that justice cannot condone the injuring of
- Was the first of the great schools of philosophy others
- Plato conducted an educational center for the - Thrasymachus, character representing the
training of statesmen school of radical Sophist thought: justice is the
- Many of Plato’s teachings and writings were lost, interest of the stronger; not only rulers but all
but enough remains of his written works to men will act alike, in that they use their power
outline and assess the fundamentals of his for their own benefit; justice consists of doing
thoughts and thus the origin of European good for oneself but doing injustice to everyone
political thought else
- Socrates to Thrasymachus: good is the one as it
is to the many, and the same can be said of evil;
The Republic of Plato the just ruler does not pursue individual self-
interest but the interest of all knowing his
- Easily the best known of all his works welfare is inextricable form the people
- Composed in dialogue form
 - Glaucon to Thrasymachus: disagreed; men
would prefer to exploit others for their own
advantage but they would fear the Plato’s Definition of Justice
consequences; justice then results from fear;
- Has to do with the 3 classes in society
men enact laws and agree to obey them because
- Justice is a product of class division and
while selfish, there are prudent (later
specialization of function
incorporated by Thomas Hobbes in his
- “giving to every man his due”, and a man’s due is
Leviathan)
to be assigned the particular task which he is
- Socrates to Glaucon: disagreed with the view
best qualified by aptitude and training to
that justice is apart from a man’s soul; the state
perform
is the individual “writ large”
- Justice is the development of internal harmony in
The Ideal State: 3 Social Classes the individual and state, which can be achieved
only when external conditions are properly
a. Philosopher-King ordered
b. Guardians (militia)
c. Producers (artisans) Virtues of the State of The Republic

- Wisdom, courage, and self-control

The True Meaning of the Republic Wisdom

- Plato equates moral with political philosophy - Found in the ruling class of philosopher-kings

The Tripartite Soul: 3 Elements of the Soul/ 3 Basic Forces Courage

- Soul: a simple, pure, unorganized, - Attribute of the soldier-guardians

uncompounded, invisible rational identity; it is Self-Control
an idea; believed the soul was immortal; was
born from our ability to think - Exercised by both soldier-guardians and artisans
- Desire/ Appetite, Spirit/ Courage, Reason when they recognize their limitations and no not
- Each is present in every man in varying amounts; attempt to interfere with the work of rulers
one is always predominant - Rulers exercise self-control when they do not
- Society may be divided into 3 classes according abuse the position they hold
to the relative amount of each force present in - Justice in the state results from the fact that all
the individuals comprising the community other virtues are made possible, and it is
organization that makes them possible
a. Desire or Appetite
- Constitute the largest class
- Artisan class Justice for the Individual
- Function is to supply the community with the - Results from temperance
material necessities of life - If each person is dominated by one of the 3 basic
impulses, justice will be served if he lives a life
b. Spirit or Courage which his primary impulse is made to serve the
- Fewer are motivated by such forces community and the lesser impulses are strictly
- Military guardian class curbed
- From a select handful of soldier guardians will be - The composition of the good state reflects the
chosen the ruling class of the sate harmonious soul of the individual
- The highest form of humanity is the person in
c. Reason whom appetite and spirit are dominated by
- Least number of people reason
- Ruling class - The highest form of state is one in which those
- Endowed with reason and motivated by their who know control the affairs of state
willingness to serve as rulers
- They will have the greatest capacity to think In light of modern psychology:
philosophically and to search diligently for true
principles - Plato’s threefold categorization of man’s instincts
- Realize that their welfare is inextricably bound and capabilities is naïve
with the welfare of the whole - The attributes, aptitudes, and capacities of man
cannot be so neatly distinguished
- The state arises in answer to the demand of the - Differences in mental capacity are not so great as
satisfaction of reciprocal need Plato imagined
- Since some men perform a particular task better - Aristotle: experience is also important as a guide
than others, they should only perform that task to human behavior; it would be difficult to
- Each person works at what he does best and determine the relative values of the
through association satisfies his and others’ contributions to society of education and
needs for that service experience
 - Plato’s arbitrary assignment of men to one Second Phase
another or of the different classes destroys
freedom - This group begins the program at 20 years old
- Democracy does not assume that the and remains in it for 15 years if its members
contributions of all men to the formulation of prove fit
public policy are equal, it only proposes that - A mor individualized technique of instruction
most men have something to contribute may be employed
- First 10-15 years: devoted to the study of math
and astronomy
- Final 5 years: study of dialectic and philosophy
Education in the Republic - First principles are explored and the search for
the good and truth is launched
- The principle that the state should be ruled by
- At the age of 35: those who have successfully
those who know is not easily refuted
completed their advanced education are
- Plato attacked the Athenian system in proposing
assigned to civil and military administrative
his own plan of education
positions; training continues for another 15 years
Athenian Education System: (concrete and practical application of the
principles)
- Even though education was compulsory, it was - At the age of 50: those who demonstrated real
privately administered ability and served with genuine distinction reach
- To Plato: the welfare of the state was guilty of the pinnacle of the state order; they join the
gross negligence in permitting private agencies group of guardians
to control the system - The guardian class:
- Athens only required an elementary education,  Labors for the state, the preservation
which Plato deemed insufficient to train a of the just community
statesman  Task is “holding the line”, of ensuring
- The root of Athens’ problem: inefficiency of the that the next generation will live as
Athenian education, resulting in government by does the present generation
incompetents; Athenian women were not  Do not frame legislation
subject to even the modest educational - Law in its customary form is a framework of rules
requirements of the state and regulations governing human behavior and
The Original Plan of the Republic: 2 Phases having general applicability
- Laws is unable to consider the many extenuating
a. First Phase: Elementary training for citizens up and shifting circumstances of individual cases
to the age of 18, followed by a 2-year period of and is rarely adjusted rapidly enough to account
military training for those circumstances
b. Second Phase: Plan of advanced study for those - Statesmen of the ability found among
who survived the selective screening process of philosopher-kings should rule according to the
elementary education conclusions reached through their own
intelligence and training and must not be
First Phase compelled to conform to a set of outdated and
inferior laws
- Elementary education was open to all
- Education in the Republic is devoted to
- A person’s degree of fitness was to be
maintenance of the society as it has been
ascertained during this period
originally conceived and planned. It employs
- Education was given to both men and women
censorship and the absolute authority to the
- Citizens studied gymnastics (exercise and bodily
rulers.
care including diet) and music
- Plato makes an attack upon democracy. His
- Physical education: development of a sound
proposal is that education shall be so planned
physique; Plato regarded training of the body as
and directed as t prevent democracy with its
a means of the education of the mind; designed
amateurism and inefficiency from corrupting a
to develop spirit and courage in those on the
proper society
path to become auxiliaries/ members of the
military class
- Music: singing and instrumental music; a rigid
system of censorship (via philosopher-kings) is
proposed to assure that training in “music” will
conduce to the desirable social and political
character of the state; this was in contrast to the
Athenian way (free inquiry and speculation)
Communism in the Republic The Republic Concluded

- Communism in the upper classes; was meant to Four Progressive Stages of Degenerative Corruption
maintain the status quo
- Plato’s communism is unlike Marx’s in that it is a. Ideal republic
more comprehensive where it applies because it b. Timocracy or military rule
extends to family and property c. Oligarchy
- Plato’s communism has a political or moral d. Democracy
rather than an economic end e. Tyranny
- The danger of wrangles over property could be Timocracy
forestalled by the elimination of private property
- The artisan class: would be permitted to hold - Spirit is the dominating force in the state
property because they were incapable of doing - Spirit is less desirable than reason but better
without it than its subsequent corruptions
- Upper classes: communism was possible and
necessary; the dangers of excessive individualism Oligarchy, democracy, tyranny
encouraged by disparity in property holdings
- Dominated by appetite
would be lessened; the distractions to rulers due - Some appetites or desires are more destructive
to private property would be absent in the than others
harmonious republic - Oligarchies: when rulers are turned from the
proper path by their love of wealth
Communism: The Family Democracy
- Extended past private property to family - Represents the corruption of oligarchy and
relationships in the upper classes
results from the revolution of poor against rich
- Marriages or monogamous unions were not after a period of dissatisfaction and after their
allowed among men and women in the ruling discovery that wealth is not true evidence of
and military classes moral superiority
- Breeding was to be regulated so as to produce - Democracy is anarchy, issuing from the just of
offspring from the best possible stock freedom and worse than an oligarchy
- The offspring of controlled unions were to be - Plato does not hate the common man; he only
reared by state believes him to be utterly incapable of governing
- Abortion, infanticide, and neglect of the himself
chronically ill and unfit are devices
recommended by Plato to maintain the size and **In his effort to save and improve individual morality,
quality of the community Plato destroys individualism.
- Plato sought eugenic ends through state control
of breeding **The individual’s value does not lie solely in his
relationship to the state, and in stressing society’s claim
upon him. A measure of freedom is probably more
Emancipation of Women conducive to the harmony and unity of society than Plato
supposed.
- Besides the physical distinctions, there was little
difference between men and women **The good society depends for its existence upon the
- Women should be compelled to perform to the ability of its members to find the proper balance of
best of their ability the role of citizen freedom and authority, and the problem cannot be solved
- Should share the military and rulership duties by throwing all the weight to either side of the fulcrum
with men on a plane of equality
- Women in the upper classes had a duty to bear
children but were not to be further concerned
with the care of a child after its birth
- The freedom for women in which Plato was
interested involved duties rather than rights
- The relegation of the Athenian female to the
role of child bearer and house keeper and her
complete absence from the field of civic activity
Plato considered a flagrant waste of a valuable
resource rather than a transgression on
women’s rights
- Not reform but renovation of the kind urged in
the Republic was necessary if society was to be
saved