The RepublicBy Plato

Plato

Born into a prominent Athenian family, whose member were active in the

oligarchic political faction Went to Sicily to try

(unsuccessfully) to reform the rule of the Syracusan tyrant Dionysus II

Founded the school of philosophy

known as the Academy

Plato

Socrates was his primary

interlocutor in his dialogues

The philosopher’s quest for the

truth about the political things

often seems to threaten the

community in which he lives

Socrates

Initiator of political philosophy from

inquiry

Socrates looked inward to the human soul

Opted to pursue his quest for

knowledge through conversations with fellow citizens (dialectical approach)

The Republic

Explores the problem of

philosophy’s relationship to the

city (polis) by constructing a

theoretical regime in which their

interests might be

harmonized.

The Ethics of the Republic

An inquiry into the nature of

justice, seeking to clarify what

it is and why we should act

justly.

Socrates’ companions were

Cephalus, Polemarchus, and

Thrasymachus

The Ethics of the Republic

Dialectic a process of

asking and answering

questions whereby we can

rationally evaluate an opinion by

seeing whether it can be

defended as internally coherent

and consistent with our

experience.

Definition of Justice

Cephalus

It is giving back what one has borrowed and telling the truth

Socrates’ response

Cannot simply define justice because it would not be just to do such things.

Ex. Telling truth to an insane person

Definition of JusticePolemarchus

It is giving what is owed and doing good to friends and harm to enemies

Socrates’ response

When harmed, human beings, like dogs or horses, appear to become worse

Definition of Justice

Thrasymachus

It is a sham – merely “the advantage of the stronger”

Injustice is more profitable

Willing to invoke tyranny

Socrates’ response

Ruling is a kind of art – it is characteristic of all art to seek the good of those they rule

Injustice leads to factions or conflict among human being

Definition of Justice

Glaucon

• The many contend that justice is to be desired not for its own sake but only for the sake of its consequences

• The many agree to treat each other justly – not because they believe justice is good in itself, but rather because they fear being treated unjustly by others

The City in Speech

Proposes by Socrates, reasoning that

when we see justice in the city we

may be able to see it in the soul.

The city comes into being because

people are needy rather than self-

sufficient

Human community requires a division

of labor, people only work at the jobs

which they are best suited by nature

Classes in the City

Rulers –Wisdom

Guardians –Courage

Artisans –Moderation

What each soul possesses?

Reason

Capable of calculation

Spiritedness

Capable of anger, self-assertion, and moral indignation

Desire

Concerns with

pleasures of the body

Justice in the soul

The proper ordering exists when

the rational element

rules over

desire with assistance of the spirited element

Injustice of the soul exists when the inferior elements seek to rule the whole

Justice in the soul

Order in the soul fosters order in

the city and disorder in the soul

generates disorder in the city

◦ For example: citizen who lacks

moderation will unable to submit to

the reasonable laws

Allegory of the Cave

Insid

e th

e c

ave Confused

people believe in the reality of the shadows cast by artificial things

Ascensio

n fr

om

the c

ave

They will be delighted in seeing real things in the light of the sun

Symbolisms in the Allegory

• The visible world where we find our bodily selvesCave

• Stands for the principles that informs the world’s existence

Sunlit world

• The idea of the good

• The supreme and perfect cause of all being, intelligibility, and goodness that we see imperfectly reflected in the visible world

Sun

Reason

It longs for good and finds

happiness in the contemplation of

the good.

A distinctively human element,

other animals possess only desire

and spiritedness

The human good

What is good?

Socrates suggests that it is “ what every soul pursues

and for the sake of which it does

everything”

The idea of the good provides

measure of perfection

between the good and bad

The limitations and

imperfections of this world makes it impossible for the good to be fully grasped

and achieved in this life

Lesser happiness of

the soul

Greater happiness of

the soul

The Philosopher

The most just person, both

in the internal organization of the

soul and in dealing with others.

Philosopher

Loves and pursues wisdom

The most just person

Tyrant

Loves and pursues the

gratification of bodily desires

The most unjust person

The Nature Politics

Education and Virtue

The purpose of the city or political

com-munity is to provide the citizens

with

an EDUCATION in VIRTUE

Education and Virtue

Education (Paideia)◦ Included not only the learning of

information but more on the

formation of character Virtue (Arête)◦ Signified not only the decent habits

necessary to orderly living in the

society, but also the highest activities of the human soul

Aim of the city

To provide the citizens with

character formation that fosters

civic and human

excellence

Aim of the City

In this light, Socrates, in Gorgias,

claim that great statesmen of

Athens were not statesmen at all,

fore they merely increased the

power of the city without making

the citizens better

He contends, in Apology, that he

is the only statesman that Athens

has ever had

How can the disposition of the

souls be so shaped that they will

be open to virtue?

Through EDUCATION, character

formation of the young

The Guardian

Must be spirited to be

courageous in war

The need to be gentle with

their fellow citizens

Traditional Greek

Education

Gymnastic training for the body

Music education

for the soul

Music in Greek education

Not fitting for those

who will be reared as guardians

The gods are presented as

being animated by unruly

passions such as lust and anger

Gods are constantly at war with one another

Socrates proposal to the problem

The city in speech should require

a CENSORSHIP or public

control of speech and artistic

expression

Models that regulate both

SUBSTANCE and STYLE – both

what it is said and how it is said

A. Substance

Two broad consideration

1. The depiction of the gods and the

afterlife

2. The depiction of the heroic beings

of the past

1. The depiction of the gods and the afterlife

Poets must not disparage the afterlife

Heroic men must not grieve excessively

Death is not a terrible thing

Must not be changing in form (false appearances)

The best condition are impervious

No being would alter himself for the worse

Must not depict the divine as the source of evil

Shown as good Cannot cause evil or harm

Additional qualification

Guardians must be truthful

◦ Falsehood may be useful to some

but not to the guardians, only the

rulers.

◦ Lying to rulers is as bad as patient

lying to doctors about his body or a

sailor to his captain about the state

of the ship

Additional qualification

Guardians will need moderation,

mastering his own bodily desires

and obeying to their rulers

◦ Self-control is obviously essential to

the guardians

◦ Immoderation fosters injustice

B. Style Socrates proposes to employ the

proper combination of

NARRATION and IMITATION

B. StyleNarrative

• When an author relates the thrust of a character speech or summarizes her actions

• Narrative style of the “gentleman,” or the noble and good will only be used

Imitation

• When they actually reproduce the character’s words

• Indiscriminate imitation has moral consequences

Rhythm and Harmony

For Socrates, these are imitations

or depictions of the various

passions and states of

character of which the human

soul is capable.

Rhythm and harmony that

communicate excessive grief will

be banished

Rhythm and Harmony

Immoderation are

unsuitable for the guardians,

thus, the rhythms and harmonies

about symposia (drinking parties)

must also be excluded from the

city’s musical repertoire

The right music

City’s music

Represents the bearing and

speech of the reasonable man in war and peace

Endures the dangers of the of battle patiently

Holds his passions in

check and listens to persuasion in

peace

Gracefulness

The ultimate aim of the good

city’s music education

Music aims to be graceful itself

and to foster a graceful

disposition in the soul of citizens.

Gracefulness

Graceful soul brings forth orderly and dignified speeches and actions that are

depicted in graceful music

Exposure to a graceful poetic and musical presentation of the good speeches and

deeds of good men tends to foster a gracefulness in the souls of the audience.

Gracefulness

Through gracefulness, music

education culminates the man to

love the beauty of the well-

ordered soul.

Music education is moral

education

It is important to note that the

Greeks typically use the same

word kalon, to signify what is

NOBLE and what is BEAUTIFUL

The impact of moral

educationMoral

excellenceCivic health

Citizens become decent

and orderly

Uninterested in the pleasure of

the body

Fosters justice

Cities neglecting

music education

will be oversha-

dowed by unruly

or lawless

desires

The Noble Lie

Since the music education and of reason is insufficient for fostering good education, Socrates introduces the noble lie.

The members must be convinced that the period of their moral education was in fact a dream, that they were really being fashioned in the earth and were born in the land.

The Noble Lie

They will look upon the land as “a

mother and nurse” and upon their

fellow citizens as “brothers” also

“born of the earth”

The lie also intends to legitimize

the political inequalities of the city

in speech, to justify the rule by

some over others

Metals for each class

Rulers - Gold

Auxiliaries -Silver

Artisans – Iron and Bronze

Thank you!!