Does plato’s republic still stand in today’s society?

Does platos republic still stand in straightaways golf-club?Few philosophers in ancient and modern level continue to have as much influence as Plato. much than 2500 years after Platos death, his teachings regarding justice and the whiml state continue to overturn discussion and debate. The likingl community he envisioned in The commonwealth continues to influence leaders and semipolitical thinkers, and his study of the ideal state organize the foundations of political science. This paper examines the continuing relevance of the book The body politic, with particular cerebrate on Platos concepts of justice, gratification and the ideal order of magnitude.Plato was born in Athens in 427 BC. He belonged to an aristocratic family, as his tiro was a descendant of an Athenian king dapple his mother was distantly related to the law flummoxr Solon. Platos father died early, and his mother re-married an associate of Pericles, the statesman. Based on familial ties, Plato had st rong connections with two democracy and the oligarchy.Following his stepfathers footsteps, the young Plato had political ambitions. Soon, however, he became disillusioned by the corrupt and inefficient political leadership in Athens.Plato then followed his fourth-year brothers who had become pupils of Socrates. Plato planetually became a great follower of Socrates, adopting the great teachers rootonical philosophy and style of debate. Plato as well as vigorously adopted Socrates motto, Know thyself, and he pursued this knowledge by Socrates dialectical system of questions, answers and additional questions. This deprecative method of instruction, however, caused Socrates to fall into disfavor with his students. The teacher was tried for religious impiousness and turpitude of youth and was sentenced to death. Socrates death further increased Platos dis satisf flakeion with all vivacious political regimes.In 387 BC, Plato founded his birth school, the Academy, in Athens. Th is university was for higher studies, with instruction in the sciences, mathematics and philosophy. The academy attr deported students for more than nine centuries. Plato continued to teach and served as president of the Academy until his death in 347 at the age of 80.In The Republic, Plato proposes his theory that the ideal state or polis can yet be achieved by dint of a agreement of elements. Political justice can however be present when people serve their functions, as determined by their tripartite souls.Plato believed that the charit open soul is divided into leash elements. First, in that respect be the bodily appetites, expressed through bodily needs such(prenominal) as hunger and thirst. Second be the spiritual elements, expressed through emotions akin love, anger and compassion. Above all, the third element that separates people from animals and makes them erratic is the benignant ability to use language and reason. Plato comp bed the soul to an organism. An dissymmetry among these elements leads to conflict, sickness and misery. Plato similarly believed that there argon three types of personalities. The or so common is the person direct by bodily appetites. This person is desires, money and possessions. The second personality is reign by the spirit. This person would be driven by finales wish success, fame and power.Finally, there is the person who is dominated by reason, the person who aspires towards truth and wisdom. He or she would be leaveing to give up family, forgo basic appetites and peppy the austere fork overingstyle to discover the unchangeable human essence.Plato believed that mirth comes when these three elements of the soul are satisfied under the rule of reason. This is a rocky endeavor, for the bodily drives often conflict with reason. However, knowledge and right conduct can unless come from a soul dominated by reason. Hence, only those who are curbed by reason and knowledge should be in a position to govern the other subdivisions of society.Like the human soul, Plato likewise viewed society as an organism. In Platos ideal society, each persons complaisant role will be determined by the element dominant in his or her soul. People who are ruled by bodily appetites would make the best producers farmers, laborers, hunters, merchants and the others whose get going sustains a populaces physical needs. People who are driven by spiritual desires comparable honor, loyalty, fame and other spiritual elements should be members of a citys supplement and military staff.Finally, there are the men and women who are ruled by reason. They are devoid of family ties and do non possess private property. finished years of training, they could enact laws and make decisions based on reason and wisdom, on what Plato termed the idea of the good.These, Plato believed, are the philosophers who should also be kings. only when people who are dominated by reason should become guardians.Plato was c ritical of Athenian society, which allowed even people who are ruled by bodily appetites to govern. In Platos view, this leads to an imbalance in the favorable organism, manifesting in the societal conflict and corruption that glowering him away from politics as a young man. Platos belief in establishing harmony within conflicting human and social elements led him to cogitate that an ideal society must be governed by knowledgeable and reason-driven elite.Platos descriptions of justice, deservingness and joy are very different from the modern understandings of these terms. For Plato, all these concepts are entwined in his understanding of the ideal state and, again, his concept of the tripartite soul.In The Republic, Plato wrote of his concept of individual justice as an offshoot of what he sees as a tripartite soul. Plato believed that the human soul is divided into three elements. First, there are the bodily appetites, expressed through bodily needs such as hunger and thirst. Second are the spiritual elements, expressed through emotions like love, anger and compassion. Above all, the third element that separates people from animals and makes them unique is the human ability to use language and reason (Rice 58-61).The theory of political justice parallels the theory of individual justice. For Plato, a city is man judicial writ large against the sky. Since people are social animals, cities are a infixed extension and mirror of the human soul. In Platos ideal society, each persons social role should be determined by the element dominant in his or her soul. Political justice occurs when the guardians rule wisely and the other classes do their tasks, ensuring the smooth function of the social organism. As in the body, when all aspects of society function as one, there will be harmony. This harmony engenders the reign of political justice, resulting in a state that is uninvolved from war or civil disorder.An imbalance among these elements leads to conflict, sickness and misery. Individual happiness can only happen when all three elements are in balance. Only when this balance occurs can a person live a just and pure life (Rice 61).For Plato, ensuring that the guardians rule wisely and the other classes do their tasks will drive the smooth function of the social organism. When all aspects of society function as one, there will be harmony. This harmony begets the reign of political justice, resulting in a state that is free from war or civil disorder. Only in such a society can human happiness be possible, as the alternative is chaos.Plato thus viewed happiness as an abstract, a fringe benefit of living a virtuous life and facilitating a harmonious social organization.Plato used the haunting allegory of the sabotage as a metaphor for the human condition. Plato believed that ordinary humans who do not bother to, in the Socratic tradition, examine their lives were doomed to live like prisoners in a cave. These prisoners can only see sha dows, which are created by artificial light and manipulated by unseen overlords (Plato 514a-519a).These individuals cannot have proper concepts of their initiation and their needs. They do not have the knowledge to recognize their victimization and accordingly have to desire to be free. Any interruption in their shipway of thought such as a prisoner who escapes and returns, telling of the cheerfulness outside the cave is regarded with disrespect and suspicion.Only by leaving the cave can these prisoners ever learn the difference between what is up-to-date and what are artificial shadows.Several criticisms have been written regarding the weaknesses in Platos formulations. Though a modern reading of Plato would find his concepts of democracy and justice as strange, criticisms regarding this work began much primitively.For example, Platos formulation of happiness is understandable given how the ancient Greeks disquieted the greatness of the polis. However, viewed from a mode rn perspective, what Plato defines as happiness is more like contentment. People live their lives according to an inner nature that is inflexible. They derive satisfaction from fulfilling their assigned societal roles.Platos definition, however, lacks an important component of happiness passion. True human happiness involves the active and passionate pursuit of a goal. Platos student Aristotle was also one of his earliest critics. Aristotle recognized the weaknesses of Platos concept of happiness and introduced a much-needed forge of empiricism to Platos philosophy. Aristotle was critical of Platos reliance on intuitive reason and a purportedly immutable world of ideas. Instead, Aristotle believed that knowledge should be anchored in real experiences that can be perceived by the senses.Plato thus viewed happiness as an abstract, a fringe benefit of living a virtuous life and facilitating a harmonious social organization. Like Plato, Aristotle also placed speech pattern on the vi rtuous life. However, Aristotles concept of happiness also differed significantly from his predecessor.In contrast to Platos tripartite soul, Aristotle divided the human soul into two elements the sagacious and the irrational. While humans share irrational elements with animals, they also possess faculties that are distinctly human. For example, humans have the ability to control their bodily desires through reason. In addition, only humans are capable of logical deliberation and intellectual activities, which Aristotle defines as intellectual virtue (Grant 256).Unlike Platos concept of happiness as an abstraction, Aristotle believed that happiness is based on human nature. The nature of happiness is itself based on human nature. For Aristotle, happiness can only fountain from the rational part of the human soul and is therefore a goal unique to humans (Grant 256-257). The contrast between the two philosophers illustrates one of the superior weaknesses in Platos philosophy. By emphasizing the all- magnificence of reason, Plato neglects other important aspects of human nature. These embarrass the emotions, such as happiness and love, as well as desires, such as sex.This strict division of social labor between the social classes runs counter to more feelings that are considered fundamental parts of human nature. For example, while Plato is one of the few philosophers who believes that women can be governed by reason, he also stipulates that guardian women must not raise their own families. If they procreate and bear children, their offspring will be raised by another womanhood from the lower social ranks.With regards to sex, Plato views the sexual appetites as illicit. The failure to impose restrictions on ones appetites makes a person the victim of disorganized and unfocused demands. This leads Plato to make conclusions that corruption and social illnesses spring from uncontrolled human appetites (Kraut 325-226). Furthermore, other critics have pointed to the absence seizure of a concept of good character in Platos teachings. There is no concept of sympathy or empathy for fellow human beings. As philosopher soap Eastman later writes, Plato sees the good person as ruled by reason, whereas near moral codes see good people as ruled by a passion that of love forfellow (humans) (96). The analogy of the cave underscores Platos emphasis on the importance of the examined life. People who see only manipulated shadows fail to see the large picture outside and can thus never be able to make properly informed decisions. They will continue to hold sullen values and ideals, and will continue to resist efforts made on their behalf to repair their lives.Though Platos vision of the ideal polis is justly criticized for its strict hierarchical roles, he makes a significant parcel to political thought by maintaining that the political community must promote the well being of its citizens. After all, Plato wrote at a time when tyrants routinely used the resources of the nation-state in their own interests. The idea of the greater good being more important than the rights of the sovereign formula is thus an important departure.As a result of this, Plato maintained that a good political leader must be educated. Also, while Plato is rightly criticized for ignoring human needs when he abolishes family ties for the ruling class, this severing of ties is geared towards the abolition of property. By removing family and property ties, Plato hopes that a political leader can very make informed decisions based on reason and not plain based on their won or their loved ones interests.Finally, perhaps the most remarkable feature of Platos Republic is his startling idea of equality although express mail among the sexes. Plato believed that qualified women can become members of the guardian class. Like men, Plato believed that there are women who are governed by reason and, by rights, should be accorded the responsibilities of gov erning (Smith 467).In addition to the Philosopher-Kings, Plato also believed in the possibility of Philosopher-Queens. Plato later expanded this thesis in Laws, saying that all citizen women should be allowed to take part in public affairs. They should be allowed to join athletic and military training, to dine in public communally and to receive education in political virtues (Saunders 480).In summary, much of the weaknesses in Platos political theory, as set about in the Republic, arise from an imperfect and rigid classification of human nature. Plato does not make allowances for basic human emotions and needs. As such, he prescribes social roles that, while supposedly serving the greater social good, force people to sublimate their own needs and desires.However, these weaknesses do not take away from the enduring importance of the Republic. First, Plato laid the foundations for a true democracy by stipulating that those who govern should act in the best interests of their citizen s. Second, Plato recognized the importance of education, both in ensuring the qualifications of those who govern and that the citizens themselves can make informed political decisions. closely importantly, Plato presents an ideal community, where no one person is automatically privileged by wealth, birth or gender. It is an attractive ideal, where no ones needs are ignored and where every member strives to live an examined life.Platos ideal society has figured prominently in many another(prenominal) later normative conceptions of ideal social orders. In Utopia, the influential sixteenth century vision of the ideal state, Thomas much incorporated Platos earlier negation of private property and the necessity for educated and qualified rulers.By the eighteenth century, French philosopher Emile Durkheim once again wrote of society as an organism requiring the coordinated function of its parts in his The fraction of Labor in Society.More recent history continues to show appropriation of Platos work, even though in very different forms. Max Nomad found significant parallels between the supposedly classless society of the Soviet Union under Nikita Kruschev and Platos ideal society. This include the division in Soviet society between peasants and merchants, the warriors/soldiers and finally, the members of the elite governing (Nomad 10).Platos rejection of Athenian democracy should be viewed in its proper historical context, since during his time, the highest disposal offices were chosen by lottery. Though some may contest whether current democracy, as practiced in the United States, is truly representative, the availability of free expression and genuine public debate carcass a cornerstone of many democratic societies today.In summary, despite their limitations, many of Platos ideal principles continue to hold relevance today. First is the general belief that leaders should be qualified through education, and that voters should be empowered to make informed de cisions. Most societies also subscribe to the idea of a meritocracy, where the ability to rule is mensurable independently of wealth, gender or other forms of privilege. Finally, Platos belief in the importance of debate and dialogue continues to be upheld.In conclusion, Platos Republic was, in many ways, a product of its time. It was born out of Platos dissatisfaction with the way Athens was governed, a corrupt democracy and oligarchy that was ruled by the inept. As such, the ruling organisation did not take care of the needs of its citizens. Those who dared to question their authority, like Socrates, were executed. some(prenominal) have rightly criticized Platos formulation of the tripartite soul and, based on this principle, the ideal society of guardians, auxiliaries and producers. This formulation privileges reason over other all-important(a) aspects of human nature, like emotions and passions.However, a critical reading and appropriation shows that Platos Republic has much t o offer political and democratic theory today. The idea that governments should act in their citizens interests seems a given, but tyrants and despots were the norm when Plato wrote about his ideal society. Furthermore, the idea of a meritocracy a system that allows people to progress based on their own qualifications, rather than on privileges of wealth or status remains a strikingly modern idea.In the Republic, Platos most important contribution was to imagine an ideal that addressed the prevailing political and social injustices of his time. Today, more than 2500 years later, societies around the world continue to strive for Platos ideal.Works CitedDurkheim, Emile. The Division of Labor in Society. Translated by W. D. Halls. New York Free Press 1997.Eastman, Max. septenary Kinds of Goodness. New York Horizon Press, 1967.Grant, Michael. The Classical Greeks. New York Charles Scribers Sons, 1989.Kraut, Richard. The Defense of Justice in Platos Republic. The Cambridge lad to Plat o. Richard Kraut, ed. Cambridge Cambridge University Press, 1992.Nomad, Max. Political Heretics From Plato to Mao Tse-tung. Ann Arbor University of Michigan Press, 1963.Rice, Daryl H. A campaign to Platos Republic. New York Oxford University Press, 1998.Plato. The Republic. Translated by Allan Bloom. New York Basic Books, 1968.Saunders, Trevor J. Platos Later Political Thought. The Cambridge Companion to Plato. Richard Kraut, ed. Cambridge Cambridge University Press, 1992.