Plato's Repulic Mid-term Post

Corbin Hendrixson

Mr. Phil

Introduction to Philosophy

29 February 2012

Plato’s Society

            Plato (427-347 BC) was a very influential and creative thinker that has influenced the efficiency of our society operates by questioning the efficiency its operation when during his time. When reading Passion for Wisdom, I read about Plato’s opinion upon how society should operate, I became interested and decided to do more research for myself. Socrates, Plato’s mentor, was persecuted by the government and the church because of his preaching that alluded that the questions of life could also be explained through science and not only through religion. This experience probably influenced Plato to think that all modern forms of government are corrupt and the only way for true justice, both for society and for the individual, is through philosophy. He began to question the people in power and their inability to accept that their ideas may be wrong.  He is most well-known for his “major work in political theory, where he believed that society can enjoy posterity and harmony only if its people work in the class according to their natural abilities” (Solomon p 38). From this statement, we can see that Plato believed that not all men were created equal therefore would be no democracy in his society; I did not let that deter my interest. The more research I did the more that I started to understand Plato’s vision if human-kind decided or needed to make a more efficient human society.

Plato loved to show the problems with society through examples and stories. His most famous analogy was from his book, The Republic, in which he described man as being chained to the wall of the cave, with his face against the wall. The shadows that are casted on the wall is all that the men can see, therefore it is what they believe as reality. Then one of them, a philosopher, turns his head around to see the source of the shadows and even walks out into the sun where he can see the real reality of the world we live in. Even though the shadows are real, they are just a reflection of what is more real. Most likely this man would run back into the cave to tell his fellow man how his world was impoverished and it is inferior to the reality. Would these men then turn and kill this man for telling them that their world lacks the perfect Forms of virtue, justice and courage? Plato reference this to his mentor’s persecution and seems to be a major influence when he created his ideal society. A society that does not cater to individuals or to individual interest, but one in which the individual and individual interest are subordinate to the common good (Solomon p 36). Plate also wanted to employ censorship of art to those that only promote appropriate social behaviors and attitudes. There would be no private owning of land and parents are would not be the main providers of virtues, discipline and education but the state would.  Plato believed that in order for this society to be successful, the least citizen most be considered just as important as the greatest.

Plato saw individual human-beings are not self-sufficient therefore, individuals should come together in order to obtain the genuine necessities of life. He thought that each individual had a place or a job that they could do very well however it will vary depending on what abilities that they have. A man’s value is dependent on the value that his job has on society therefore it is inevitable that a social class or “divisions of the State” to be formed (Grube p 78). He thought it was important that the head of state should not be an average or mediocre man. Instead, society should be led by those that are very wise and are good men that know best and have insight to virtue, “philosopher of kings.” "Until philosophers rule as kings or those who are now called kings and leading men genuinely and adequately philosophize, that is, until political power and philosophy entirely coincide, while the many natures who at present pursue either one exclusively are forcibly prevented from doing so, cities will have no rest from evils,... nor, I think, will the human race." (Republic 473c-d) He saw that these divisions that are factors in our society were influenced by the modes of nature. He saw three divisions, philosopher-kings-philosophers, warriors, and the people or mercahants. Plato called the highest class “rulers” because they were the men of wisdom that governed over society. These would be “kings of philosophers” that I spoke of previously and they are responsible of making decisions that effect the whole society. The second division is warriors who are responsible for the protection of  society while the last division would be the merchants or the come people that would do their individual jobs obediently and work on primiarly satisfying their apatite whatever it might be. His reasoning of the three divisions is based on his observation that man has a threefold divisions of intelligence (the rulers), courage (the warriors), and appetite (the common people). Plato observed that some people listen primarily with their head while others have an aggressive disposition that governed by the heart through passion. The last classes, people that he saw as inferior, acts to simply feed their appetites and he believed they were governed by their liver (Kemerling). Even though Plato was for equality between people, even men and women, he still saw people as being inferior and superior based on skills that they did or did not possess.

He also believes that everyone should have an opportunity to an education and that people should start education at a very young age in order to awake the individual to their natural position. The natural position is the position of a person’s moral goodness. To put it another way, Plato thought that people should be educated to work any way that is best to feed his moral goodness. He planned that the education should start with by having a child play and strengthen his body; from three to six, the child should learn religious stories; from seven to ten, he should learn flexibility and agility through gymnastics; from the ages of ten to thirteen, reading and writing; from fourteen to sixteen, playing instruments and music; from sixteen to eighteen, mathematics; from eighteen to twenty, he should become educated in military strategy and drills; from twenty to thirty-five, those that have shown to excel in these categories and are scientific and philosophical gifted should stay in school and continue to learn. Others would join the warrior class and practice military exercise and strategy while others will be placed in the lowest class. (source) Plato believed that this education system would reveal what category a person belongs to. Some give criticism of Plato because if we all have different abilities then why do we have to go through the same education system? He saw that people will not know what their natural abilities are unless he had the opportunity to try everything.

The area where Plato got most of his praise is his structuralization of the government and society. Plato believed that the rulers should own no private property, live and eat together at government expense, and should earn no salary greater than the necessary to supply their most basic needs. With these rules, it would eliminate anyone who would have a motive to seeking power of leadership in order to gain a higher social status or wealth. Those that have been chosen to be rulers would govern mainly from a concern to seek the welfare of the state and all of its citizens. Plato’s society would be successful because the rulers would have the virtue of wisdom and the ability to comprehend reality and make impartial judgments about the problems at hand (Kemerling). The warriors would have to possess the virtue of courage by being able to carry out their task even when in the face of danger without regard for personal risk. The rest of the people that live in society, would follow the leaders of the state instead of pursuing their own personal goals therefore Plato says they should practice the virtue of moderation from being loyal to your spouse to not abusing drugs and alcohol (Kemerling). Some may begin to ask themselves if individuals could be happy within this society with the different divisions. Plato says “happiness is not for the privileged class of citizens but for the city-state as a whole.”( Solomon p 37)

Ultimately, in Plato’s society, everyone is equal, everyone is family. Imagine a world where you did not have to experience racial or sexist prejudice. You are judge strictly on the talents that you have and even if you do not have any talents then you are still just as important to the man that has all the talents. Everyone works together to try to make life easier on them and everyone that is around them. Parents would treat every child like their child when it comes to praising and disciplining. Plato’s idea of utopia is solid theoretically however I do not believe that it would be possible in this day in age. His theory is centered on the idea that people have the ability to be selfless and act on the behalf of others instead for their own benefit. If there was a catastrophic event that sent humanity back in time, then his idea of constructing a society should be remembered. Possibly, in the future we can develop a society similar to Plato’s where there is equality for all demographics and individuals act for the benefit of the whole.

Bibilography

·         Kemerling, Garth. "Plato: The Republic 1-4." Philosophy Pages. 12 Nov. 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/2g.htm>.

·         Solomon, Robert C., and Kathleen Marie. Higgins. A Passion for Wisdom: A Very Brief History of Philosophy. New York: Oxford UP, 1997. Print.

·         Grube, G.M., trans. Plato: Republic. Ed. C.D. Reeve. United States: Hackett, 1992. Print.