Plato's Republic
The Republic is a philosophic work written by Plato in the form of a dialogue. It is an inquiry into the nature of justice and the organization of a perfect society or utopia. The work is a lengthy exposition of ideas in an attempt to combine rational, ethical, and religious principles. Morality, politics, knowledge, and metaphysics are four main topics discussed in The Republic to create Plato's perfect society. According to Plato, in the Republic an ideal state would consist of three classes. The philosopher-kings would hold political power to provide the services of justice and wisdom. The soldiers would protect the state and maintain order within it as a means of acquiring honor. The civilian population would provide for the material needs of society. The entire government of the state acts to enforce the conduct of the individual citizen, and an orderly and productive public life is the result(Annas 172-173). Plato constructed his Republic on what he considered the basic elements or characteristics of the human soul: the appetite, the spirit, and the philosophy(Murphy 29). His ideal Republic consisted of three distinct groups in order to fulfill the elements of the soul. A commercial class was formed by th
Men and women are to be educated, trained, and treated equally within the Republic. This blueprint was a sketch of a society in which the problems he thought were present in his society would be eased. In his utopian society Plato sought to cure the afflictions of both human society and human personality. The personality of this individual is competitive, arrogant, dictatorial, harsh to slaves, respectful to those above him, and ambitious for promotion. The Guardians would then neglect education and distrust intelligence. The ideal city might decay into a timocracy by dissension among the Guardians, if some of them sought private property and wanted to reduce the other classes to slavery. The basic principle of the ideal city is specialization and coordination of functions(Annas 172). The city must grow only as a single unit. Shocked by corruption of Athenian democracy and politics he refused to participate in political life. Plato tells of four imperfect forms of governments that can result from the degeneration of an ideal city. Aristocracy is a government of philosopher kings, which is of course Plato's creation. If some of the city's population grows into classes of wealth and poverty, sections of the population will cease to function properly. Plato's view is that a just city is a city in which there is the best arrangement, where each citizen is doing what he is supposed to do and not imposing on his neighbors(Murphy 13). The poor are despised, or become followers of the rich.
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Timarchy Oligarchy,
Peloponnesian War,
,
Plato's Republic,
Essentially Plato,
ideal city,
perfect society,
political power,
utopian society,
wisest citizens,
athenian democracy,
city city,
commercial class,
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