plato’s republic - revision notes

8/13/2019 Platos Republic - Revision Notes

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Platos Republic Revision Notes

PreludeCephalus:

- In old age, most desires have left the body, making the old more agreeable to rational discussion- Old age is easier to bear if ones character is fulfilled ? Eudemonia- Moderate lifestyle is best a bad man would be miserable if rich or poor,but a rich (good?) man might only be miserable if poor- Money helps people to stay good and worry less- Justice is returning what is borrowed, or giving everyone their duePolemarchus:- Justice is helping friends and harming enemieso View expressed by the poet SimonidesSocrates:- Justice doesnt equal giving everyone their due ? example of mad axe man- Justice isnt the skill of helping friends and harming enemies as this would be useful only in times of war, yet justice is coveted in peacetime alsoo This presumes that justice is a skill, or techneC. D. C. Reeve Cephalus and Polemarchus represent the conventional. Cephalus istoo old for philosophy to help, Polemarchus is too young, and thus they play minor roles in the text

Book 1, 336b to 367e

(Thrasymachus, Glaucon & Adeimantusarguments against Justice)Thrasymachus vs. SocratesThrasymachus:- Justice is in the interest of the stronger party, i.e. everyone has to obey the wishes of the strongest. Justice is the rules/will imposed by the strongest (the ruler) and this will benefit themselves, not the weaker (the public)Socrates:- Rulers are fallible, they can make mistaken judgements that go against their own interests, BUT it would still be just for the weaker to follow their rule, therefore working against the interest of the strongest.Cleitophon:- Attempt to clarify Thrasymachusargument justice is following what the strongest believes to be in his interest, regardless of whether it actually is or

notThrasymachus:- No- Ruling is a techne, a skill. Those with the techne are infallible. In the sense that while ruling, a ruler is infallible and if they do make a mistake they do not currently possess the techne. A doctor is not called a doctor becausehe makes mistakes.- Criticism does an infallible ruler exist?Socrates:- Medicine, as a techne, works to better the human body. If ruling is a similar skill it thus works in the interest of the public, i.e. the people that are being ruled as opposed to those that rule. A doctor does not work to benefit himself.

- Therefore justice is not acting in the interest of the strongerThrasymachus:- Some technes involve working to benefit oneself, e.g. shepherdry, caringfor sheep to benefit yourself/ your master.- Therefore justice is in the interest of the stronger- Injustice pays more, as it is benefitting yourself, not the stronger/others- Tyranny example theft, exploitation etc. is unjust for an individual yetif a tyrant acts as such they are praised, as they are stronger.Socrates:


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- Shepherds dont equal businessmen. The techne of shepherdry involves working in the interest of the sheep. Earning wages, or benefitting oneself, is a connected but distinct techne.- Criticism but if wage earning was a similar techne then presumably it would be working in the interests of who its serving, i.e. the wage. This is silly.- Those with the techne of ruling dont rule in order to gain wages/benefitthemselves, they are altruistic. If they cant be coerced into ruling with wages then they have to be threatened with punishment. Ruling doesnt benefit oneself andso those who would be good at ruling are unlikely to want to rule, though theywould see the benefit for the community.- Justice is in the interest of the weaker and is better than injusticeThrasymachus:- Injustice is a virtue as it leads to a better life, eudemonia, if undetected- An unjust man is wise and sensible as he realises the best way of life is gained through injusticeSocrates:- An unjust man will try and outdo both the just and the unjust, in orderto benefit themselves, while a just man would simple outdo the unjust through acting justly- Musicians, who are skilled, outdo the unskilled, yet do not compete withother skilled musicians- The skilled therefore compete with their unlike not their like, while the unskilled compete with everyone

- Justice is a skill, those with justice are skilled and intelligent and therefore justice is a virtue. Virtues contribute towards eudemonia- Criticism translated badly, competedoesnt really convey the argument. Unjustified claim that justice = eudemoniaThrasymachus:- In justice is a source of strength, thus implying that it is a virtue.Socrates:- Groups of people working together need justice to cooperate as the unjust wouldnt have trust and would constantly be wronging each other- Group = Individual- For an individual to be unjust is to be internally divided, thus not strong as they wouldnt be bale to act efficiently- Criticism Does group really = individual? Under Socrates analogy, a grou

p could still be internally just but externally unjust. An individual could therefore act unjustly, while being internally just undermines his whole argument- Justice is intelligence and contributes to eudemonia while injustice leads to hatred and inefficiency- Function argumento All things have functions, which if completed lead to eudemoniao Functions are fulfilled through excellences, arte, which contribute towards the techne, or skills, involved with fulfilling the function. Artes ? techne ?function fulfilled ? eudemoniao Function of the mind is to live effectively, this skill is used in conjunction with the excellence of justice, as it has been said above that living justly is a skill. To be just you need to have the excellence of justice.o Fulfilling function ? happiness

o Justice pays more than injusticeRachel Barneys summary of this section:- The typical view of justice has come from Hesiod, and Thrasymachus is arguing against the value of this account of justice- Summary of the function argumento The virtue/excellence of anything is what enables it to perform its function wello The function of the human soul is paying attention, controlling, deliberating and lifeo Justice is the virtue of the human soul (unjustified?)


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o Therefore justice enables the soul to fulfil its function and live wello Whoever lives well is happyo Therefore the just man is happy and the unjust miserableGlaucon and AdeimantusChallenge- Glaucon argues that there are 3 types of goodo Pleasurable enjoyments good we desire for itself (utilitarian perspective?)o Wisdom and health good we desire for itself and for its consequenceso Exercise and wage earning good we desire for its consequences- Socrates argues that justice is the 2nd type, desired for itself and itsconsequences- Glaucon argues that justice is the 3rd kind, desired for its consequenceso Social contract theory!o It is better for oneself to act unjustly, but unjust acts against oneself are bad. Justice is the mutual argument to not act unjustly (thought it wouldbenefit ourselves) in order to protect ourselves from unjust actions against uso It is in human nature to desire to do wrong and dislike suffering, justice is the agreement to not do wrong in order to prevent sufferingo Hobbesian contract theory? Utilitarian principles?o Laws prevent people from acting unjustly, as they have been created to prevent suffering. Laws enforce justice. (Ring of Gyges example)o Justice has no material gains without the reputation of being just. Therefore the best situation is to be unjust but have a reputation of justice

- Adeimantuso The appearance of justice gives a good reputation and good reputation has many material benefitso Justice is encourages by popular opinion and leaders? Encouraged for its consequences (the reputation?)o The gods are fickle and can be swayed by sacrifice and praise, which canbe done by the unjust? Therefore the unjust can still gain the benefits of justiceo People are unjust as justice is only praised for its reputation and consequences, which can be gained through injusticeo As justice is praised for its reputation and consequences, not for itself (as it is difficult to obtain) many people are not just. If it was praised foritself, through education?, then perhaps people would be just.

Adeimantus and Glaucons arguments- Mirror later topics of the texto Criticisms of the messages in poetryo Appearance is better than realityo If justice is taught from a young age it will be followed- Adeimantus challenged Socrates to show that justice is both a meansand anendand also the non-material benefits of justice, as these can also be gained through injustice

Criticism of Book One: Tenuous/irrelevant analogies. Examples conclusionOverview of the non-examined bit

Part II- State = IndividualBig = Little- As a much larger being it is easier to see justice in a city than in anindividual- By examining a just city we can easily see the separate aspects within justice and then correspond it to the individual- Criticism Is this analogy correct?- Robin Waterfield Platos city is purely hypothetical, its nothing more thanan analogy. The Republicis not a work of political philosophy


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- Tension between classes?o Jealousy wouldnt occur between classes due to indoctrination in educationand noble lies- Lack of progress?o Irrelevant as society would be perfect- What if human nature doesnt correspond? If certain people doesnt have philosophical natureswhile the rest are fairly irrational- Tripartite soul theoryo Society = soulo Soul has 3 parts? Wisdom = rulers = REASON? Courage = auxiliaries = SPIRIT? Temperance = workers = APPETITE/DESIREo When all three are in accordance to each other, i.e. reason is in control, there is justiceo Creates problems for the state = indivdual analogy? State as merely hypothetical?? Differing members of society, when wisdom/rulers in control = justice, so many people cant be wise, therefore be just? Maybe people have differing levels of internal wisdom etc.Part VI- Women are, in general, weaker than men and so usually arent good enough to become guardians, but if they are qualified then they could become guardianso Disproportionate male:female ratio

? Creates issues for Platos breeding program- Communal families for guardianso Children brought up in crches, unaware of their parents? Loyalty to state- Mating festivalo Rulers pick partners to ensure the best children are producedo Incest prevented as all children of a certain generation call older generation motherfatheretc. Incest between siblings, not a problem!- Working class gets private families and property!

Ideological responses to PlatoLiberalism

Strict class structure restricts how people are able to choose how to live- Censorship restricts people from exercising their autonomyMarxism- Communal property removes greed and encourages teamwork and selflessness- Rulers restrict what workers can do, workers have a lack of influence which fosters a sense of alienation- Class system leads to conflict and eventual overthrowConservatism- Provides a strong moral code for a more negative take on human nature, i.e. that people are irrational enough to need strong moral guidance-Removes the traditional and extremely important family structure, which would harm societyAnarchism

- State = bad, especially such an autocratic authoritarian one- (anarcho-communist) Communal living of the guardians is preferable to the workers system- Power would corrupt the rulersNeo-Liberal- The ruling class would be unmotivated with no financial/material incentives

plato’s republic - revision notes

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