...Written by Plato, The Republic strives to answer the question ‘What is Justice?’ Unlike other dialogues starring Socrates, The Republic provides an answer for the question being posed, instead of leaving readers puzzled. Using Socrates as a mouth piece, Plato creates a formula to define justice using an ideal society, the soul of an individual in an ideal society, and the greek social virtues. By using a mathematical argument to link the tasks in society, with the parts of the soul, and matching them to social virtues, Plato is able to provide an acceptable definition of justice that embodies both the ideals of a society and of an individual. In order to locate justice, Plato performs a though experiment where he creates an ideal society. In the ideal society everyone has a merit-based assignment. Plato states that in the perfect society there are three categories of people. There are the rulers, the auxiliaries, and the craftsmen. The rulers are in charge of ruling the ideal society, the auxiliaries are in charge of policing the ideal society, and the craftsmen are in charge of creating the basic tools to fulfill society’s needs. In Greece many accept that in an ideal society there are four standard virtues: wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice. Plato argues that since his society is ideal the standard virtues must be within the society. He also argues that if we are able to locate the standard values in society we will be able to locate justice. Plato uses an elimination...
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...The Republic There is no doubt that The Republic by Plato has helped developed the foundation of ethics. Since the main theme of The Republic is focused on the nature of Justice, it is ideal to say that ethics, which is based on the principles of regulating the distribution of social benefits and its burdens deals directly with the issue of what is fairness or not in our society(Norman, 83). Plato makes a lot of interesting arguments in The Republic regarding the issues of ethics. Plato was more focused on debunking theories that have been promoted by Cephalus, Thrasymachus, and Glaucon. Because Plato believed that their theories are focused on a single component, and that is they considered justice as something external. In other words, they perceive justice as an achievement or a convention they have, none of them carried it into the soul or considered it in place of its habitation (Bhandari). And in making his case, Plato argued that justice does not depend upon a chance, convention or upon external force. He sees it as the right condition of the human soul by the very nature of man when seen in the fullness of his environment. For Plato, this observation is important because justice is internal since it resides within the soul. First, the part I find fascinating relates to the reconciliation of nature and convention. I do believe this argument is vulnerable because, if justice is indeed comparable to health, then moral virtuousness should be something that we need just...
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...laws. Virtues also mold the individual outlook on life, and give them the moral’s to do what is right. In The Republic, Plato divides the city into three classes: gold, silver, as well as bronze and iron souls. Each class is designated to posses a specific virtue. He believes that wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice combine together to form The Republic. However, Plato’s four virtues individually do not necessarily produce a utopian society. A combination of the four in each citizen is imperative in producing the ideal society. In Plato’s search for the perfect “republic”, he decides that the basis of the city will be on four virtues. The first of them is wisdom. Plato defines wisdom, in Greek terms “Sophia”, as knowledge of the city as a whole. Of the three classes, the gold souls posses the virtue of wisdom. The gold souls are the only class whose knowledge goes beyond the mere facts to the level of true wisdom. “…This class, which properly has a share in that knowledge which alone among the various kinds of knowledge ought to be called wisdom, has, as it seems, the fewest members by nature” (429a). The second virtue that Plato defines is courage, which in Greek terms is “Andreia”. Courage is the preservation of the opinion produced by law, through education about what things are terrible, and what things are good. Courage can be found in the silver souls. Plato uses the example that when dyers want to dye wool, they start with the background. They need the right kind of...
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...Compare and Contrast Plato and Aristotle on governance Plato and Aristotle were both philosophers from Greece who criticized democracy as a poor form of government. Plato is regarded as the first writer of political philosophy, and Aristotle is recognized as the first political scientist. These two men were great political thinkers. There are a lot of differences between the two even though Aristotle was a great student of Plato. They each had ideas of how to improve existing societies during their individual lifetimes. It is necessary to look at several areas of each theory to seek the difference in each. Plato’s thoughts on democracy were that it causes the corruption of people through public opinion and creates rulers who do not actually knowhow to rule but only know how to influence the “beast” which is the Demos, the public. Aristotle’s views about democracy hold that democratic office will cause corruption in the people, if the people choose to redistribute the wealth of the rich they will end up destroying the state and since the people have no knowledge about governance when they elect rulers they will err. The “Republic” of Plato created a country with strict hierarchy. It has a rigorous legal system and a sound education system. All public good, servicers and desires are controlled by the country. It has its own advantages such as the idealized organized national order, and discussion of country’s justice and individual’s justice;, but it also has its shortcomings...
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...Making Plato Turn in his Grave In a city where each individual is able to do as he pleases is a city that will be filled with murder, theft, gluttony, deviance and prejudice. Hip-Hop artists, in their music, constantly incorporate these aspects of life within the content of their lyrics. This content is not only described throughout their songs, but the lifestyle of being able to do such things is constantly being advocated. “F*ck the Police” and “Beat a police out of shape and when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape to tape off the scene of the slaughter” (Rap Genius) are lyrics from the song “F*ck the Police” by the world renown hip hop group, NWA. This is one of many Hip-Hop groups that promote violence through music. Other songs such as “She swallowed It” and “Dopeman” both promote greediness, “lawless desires”, sexism and being promiscuous. If Plato were alive today to bear witness to Hip Hop music he would have despised the content of these songs, as the aforementioned contents of this type of music are all aspects of society in what he calls the “Luxurious City” and the “Purged City” and go against his idea of a just society. Hip-Hop’s first major concept that is addressed time and time again throughout its lyrics is the concept of Greed. Greed is defined as an “intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.” (Oxford) Many Hip-Hop songs address accumulation of wealth (among other things). In terms of the “Healthy City”, Plato deems...
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...can you highlight which portion seems to be structurally weak so that I could correct it, Thank You! The great Greek philosopher Plato presented the simile of the divided line in the end of version VI of his book Republic. In the book Republic, version VI and VII Socrates repeatedly rejected that he recognized the form of the good nevertheless the fact that he labeled it as the most significant thing to try to recognize because this is where everything that is moral becomes its value and returns from. The good is to be identified with pleasure not with the knowledge. These rejections did not dishearten Glaucon from unrelenting Socrates for his own views about the good. Socrates straightaway recapped Glaucon of the dissimilarity between the many beautiful and many good things on the one hand and the beautiful itself as well as the good itself on the other hand. To see things light is needed which is get from the Sun while Sun is not sight itself and it is accountable for vision, so Sun is similar to the Good. It is a fact that the Good views in the intelligible realm to the intelligence and the substances known to us in the visible realm to the sun stands to vision and the things humans see. Socrates has suggested that the Sun is responsible for the visibility of the objects and it is the reason which gives power to the eyes to see. (Jowett) Plato explained the visible world as the apparent physical substances as well as their pictures which we make in our minds and in our paintings...
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...Plato’s Republic and Machiavelli’s The Prince are each hugely important texts in the history of philosophy. Even though they were written approximately 1900 years apart, they represent two of the most valuable commentaries on political philosophy. They are of course, very different in their discussions of philosophy, yet some similarities are evident. Plato writes about philosophy through the mouth of Socrates, illustrating indirectly through a lengthy dialogue his own ideas and opinions. As a contrast to this method of narration, Machiavelli writes The Prince as a letter of personal advice to Lorenzo Medici. Within his work, Machiavelli makes numerous recommendations that have earned him the label of a heartless and cruel man. Plato, on the other hand, makes much of his discussion about the true nature of philosophy and the just treatment of all citizens. Despite numerous differences, Plato and Machiavelli each desire the rule of philosophers in their states, but while Plato approaches this with direct rule and education of philosopher-kings, Machiavelli appeals to manipulation and deceit in order to secure the rule of philosophers. Plato’s aim in his political state is for the greatest good of all people, through the best balancing of the natural elements on an individual and political scale. According to Plato, the human soul is comprised of the reasoning part, the spirited part and the appetites. The parallel elements within a city are the rulers, warriors and artisans...
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...Research Paper on a Philosopher Plato Valerie Jenter Centenary College April 24, 2012 Abstract Many Philosophers made a difference in society but Plato is perhaps recognized as the most famous. His writings have had a profound effect on people, politics, and the philosophy throughout the centuries. He was a public figure and he made major contributions to society. Plato helped to lay the philosophical foundations of modern culture through his ideas and writings. One of the most philosophical thinkers of Western civilization, Plato is the only author from ancient Greek times whose writings survive intact. His collection consists of thirty-five dialogues and thirteen letters, though the authorship of some is contested. Plato was born in Athens, into a prosperous aristocratic family. His Father’s name was Ariston and his Mother’s name was Perictione. His relative named Glaucon was one of the best-known members of the Athenian nobility. Plato's name was Aristocles, his nickname Plato originates from wrestling circles, Plato means broad, and it probably refers either to his physical appearance or his wrestling style. “Plato is, by any reckoning, one of the most dazzling writers in the Western literary tradition and one of the most penetrating, wide-ranging, and influential authors in the history of philosophy,” (Kraut, 2009). Plato was born during the Golden Age of Athens’s...
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...Beer statistics 2010 edition Table of Contents Table of contents ....................................................................................................................................................... p 1 Glossary and abbreviations ....................................................................................................................................... p 2 Foreword................................................................................................................................................................... p 3 Beer trends EU27 2003-2009 ................................................................................................................................... p 5 Beer production 2003-2009 (data) ............................................................................................................................ p 6 Beer production 2009 (chart) .................................................................................................................................... p 7 Beer Consumption 2003-2009 (data) ....................................................................................................................... p 8 Beer consumption 2009 (chart) ................................................................................................................................. p 9 Consumption per capita 2003-2009 (data) ................................................................................
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...exercise their rights through the elected officials and ruled by the majority. The written dialogues of Socrates by Plato take into account that democracy is actually inefficient and undermines the true values of their citizens. Plato’s best known and comprehensive work is the Republic. He criticized democracy as an inadequate form of government because it caused corruption of people through public opinions and created rulers whose main concern it to the ability to influence its citizen rather than being knowledgeable of proper rulership. Therefore, this government is capable of molding the perception and ideas of the citizens. According to Plato, democratic governance is a poor form of government due to the focus on self-interest rather than the welfare of society as a whole. In this essay, Plato’s background, views on politics will be presented first; then, his in-depth opinion of democracy and what he believed to be an ideal society. Plato wrote, in his autobiography Seventh Letter, that he could not identify himself with any political parties because they were heavily engage in corrupted activities. However, it was due to the execution of Socrates that provided Plato with the assurance that the existing governments were fallacious without any possible reparation. He perceived politics as unhealthy and wanted to achieve an eradication of politics. According to Plato, society can possibly be harmonious, productive, and obtain sustainable social living if liberated from politics...
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...in the 17th century, who was best known for his book Leviathan and his political views on society. Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher, who was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle, explored justice, beauty, and equality, and among many other topics. There are many common topics available to compare and contrast Thomas Hobbes and Plato. Although one point that has to be made clear is that, they share similar ideologies. Between Plato and Hobbes, there are many differences, however one of these differences is the result in how each writer perceives human beings and their roles within the state and society. Both have radically opposing views on human nature in general; because of the fundamental...
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...TOPIC OF ASSIGNMENT: “PLATO’S CONCEPTION OF GOD AND HOW IT IMPACTED HIS VIEWS ON LITERATURE” Plato considers God as having perfect goodness; and that the fundamental reality exists in the mind of god who directs other souls to spread righteousness in the world; every soul is responsible for its actions therefore it must do goodness to become like god in order to get an ideal society. Plato refutes literature, especially poetry, on the basis of this conception. He believes that purpose of creating this world is to spread goodness. Hence literature must possess elements of true reality in it to convey to the readers. In this task, I am assigned to give a glimpse on Plato’s conception of God and his process of creating this world with the help of fundamental reality. I will describe his beliefs with the help of examples from some of his works. At the end, I will sum up by describing his preference of dialogue over poetry which depicts his views about literature. Plato belongs to philosophers of Greek era. There were many school of thoughts concerning with the existence of God. Three of them were very popular which were consisted of denial of God’s existence; God’s indifference to the world; and that god can be bribed. Plato refuted these principles and established god as having “absolute reality”. Every action has some driving force behind it which is soul. God creates those souls therefore we cannot deny god’s existence. He establishes that God is not indifferent to the...
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...myself I have developed many philosophies on what good education means. A more famous philosopher who also has strong beliefs on education was Plato. But, what is so different about Plato? Why was he so insightful to others? What did he believe about education? Why was he right and where was he wrong? The following is going to answer these questions and is also going to give you a background of Plato. Plato was insightful to educators. But, to understand why people have chosen to learn from the teachings of Plato you first need to understand who he was and all he accomplished. A. Plato: 1. Plato was a Greek Philosopher 2. Plato was a student of Socrates along with Aristotle. 3. Plato a philosopher that provided informational educators with rich Insight. B. Plato’s Work 1. Most of Plato’s work was written in dialogues 2. “One of the significant features of dialogical method is that emphasizes collective, as against solitary activity.” 3. The main point/ aspect of Plato’s educational thought is “Portrayal of the ideal society in The Republic. C. Plato’s thought on education 1. Plato put education in dialogues which was The Republic and The Law. 2. Plato speaks of education as a workout he compared it to gymnastics 3. The methods that Plato used are Socratic Method, political theory, and dialogical method. 4. Plato likes to give students hard tests to see what they were capable of. He tests them on memory, on their residence to pain, seduction, and their ability...
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...meanings and implications that it left me hanging clueless. The best I could do was simply read great philosopher's writings on theory of knowledge and attempt to get a grasp on the fundamentals of epistemology. One of those great minds were Plato, the ancient greek, the epitome of western philosophy whose ideologies still stands tall up to this date. In Theaetetus, Plato succeeds in proving the Dream Theory of knowledge to be false, yet does not to give his own definition of knowledge. Where as in the Republic, during constructing Kallipolis, Plato discusses knowledge, and expresses his explicit views on epistemology. After careful inspection of Plato's two different ideas on the nature of knowledge, I was able to come up with my own definition of knowledge and suggest the possibility to know what knowledge is. As a matter of process, my theory of knowledge is heavily influenced by both of Plato's works. In Theaetetus, Plato makes an logical approach to identify the nature of knowledge. In the early pages of Theaetetus, Plato introduces Dream Theory which defines knowledge as "knowledge of x is true belief of x with an account of x". Dream Theory is based on the hypothesis that there are two types of...
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...Compare and contrast the Matrix with the readings from Plato and Descartes. What are their similarities and differences? It is important to note that Plato, the Allegory of the Cave, the Matrix, and Rene Descartes all question the validity of our sense perception. Plato, Allegory of the Cave, picture men as prisoner dwelling in cave bound with chain and can only see the shadow on the wall and not able to move” ( Plato, The Republic, Book VII, 514AI-518D8 ). Descartes, “suppose we are dreaming, that all these particulars namely, the opening of the eyes, the motion of the head, the putting fourth of the hands or merely illusion” (Descartes, Meditation on First Philosophy, 1641). The Matrix, complain that computer system has taken over the entire human race and control their minds and keep their brain connected via cable” Synopsis, The Matrix, 1999). The two with the most differences and similarities are the Matrix and Allegory of the Cave. Both Plato, allegory of the Cave and Synopsis; the Matrix both told of stories that people were being deceived about the truth. They further states that people were living in a world where they experience an illusion or some kind of dream. As the story continues, I notice that both Plato and the Matrix believe they have justified reason to support their belief. This brought me back to an encounter Jesus had with Nicodemus the teacher of Israel, who wanted to know what he must do to be saved. Nicodemus asked Jesus, can a man enter his mother’s...
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