The Republic
Uploaded by abstractspace (98) on May 3, 2004 |
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Republic by Plato:
Plato wrote Republic in 360 BC somewhere in Greece. The Latin title is "Res Publica", which I think, when translated, fits much better: "Public Matters" or "The State". It is set in a discussion style format, with Socrates and various other characters talking to each other about multiple subjects. On subject that is discussed throughout the book is justice. Thrasymachus, a character in the story who is normally the antithesis of Socrates/Plato, tries to argue that justice is the interest of the stronger. He supports this by saying that when a ruler does injustice, he profits, but when a lower man does injustice, he has losses. Thrasymachus thinks that the evil tyrannical ruler is happy because he commits so much evil, because he is so unjust, and because he breaks the rules. Plato rejects Thrasymachus by saying, basically, that if the "weak" can stop the tyrannical rulers from doing unjust things, or they can keep someone from becoming tyrannical in the first place, then they really are stronger. You might even say that everyone has the same amount of strength. Socrates' friends (Plato's real life brothers), think that he finished Thrasymachus off too fast and that he should prove that the just man is happy and the unjust man is not. Through analogy and metaphor Plato/Socrates goes on to prove it throughout the rest of the book. Because Socrates knows you cannot actually examine a man's soul, but the effects of it, he goes on to support his beliefs by using the state as a model for the soul of humans. That is to say, he thinks that the average soul is represented in the workings of a state. Plato makes many comparisons here, and forms an ideal state. He decides that humans have three parts that make us "us", and that certain parts are more active in others. These parts are desire, spirit, and reason or logic. Desire is the gut instincts we feel to do things pleasurable. Stoics only followed their desire. The counterpart of desire manifested at a larger scale within an entire state is represented as commoners. Perhaps that is why stoicism was popular. Next, there is the spirit, which strives towards recognition and honor. There is an eastern frame of mind that can be referred to as Imperialism, and it is basically deciding to give your all for honor and your state. That is, striving towards honor. Spirit is manifested as warriors. Lastly, you have the reason or logic. Those who posses it especially strive towards knowledge, and they are often manifested as philosophers that have power over the state. Plato saw the disputes that may arise, and even developed a set of rules for each class to abide by. However, I will not go into detail here. Another analogy that is commonly referred to from Republic is the analogy of The Cave. Simply, Plato describes the real world as the world philosophers live in. In the story there are a few people chained to a wall, and all they see throughout their life is just shadows on the wall. One say, when one is freed (the philosopher), they see a fire and figures in front of it, real people and animals. When you try to tell your friends chained to the wall about the real world, they won't believe you.
Plato was trying to make a lot of points in this book, but mainly he was trying to get across his ideas about the perfect society. All in all, however, it is a book that is a huge conglomeration of all of Plato's beliefs.
Plato was affected to writing this book in a number of ways. First of all, he was born into an aristocratic family in Athens, and his mother, after his father died, married a man named Pyrilampes, who was associated with the famous Pericles. This is most likely where he got his political ambitions from, or possibly this fueled them. Either way, there is so little know about Plato's actual life that you can assume the main reasons for his beliefs, that is, the things that affected him into writing about philosophies of his own, was that he lived in such a live trading town. You can guess he was often exposed to a lot of thinking when thinking was one of the most popular things to do. Besides that, you can track a lot of his beliefs to Socrates, who died during Plato's life. |
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