Plato and the Republic - Lecture notes 20 PDF

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Plato & The Republic 1

Plato & The Republic 

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Plato’s Republic o What is justice? o Why should we be just? o How should justice be instituted? Republic, Book one o Refuting common notions of justice through Elenchus o Key Figure: Thrasymachus  Sophist  Justice is ‘the advantage of the stronger’  Those who have might  decide what justice is; “history is made by victors”; same concept as “might make right”  Better to do unjust and benefit ourselves leads to fame  Concept of “realization” in political science o No room for morality but the struggle for the upper hand/self interest  Constructed by human beings for certain human beings o The “social created” in political science o Reinstates the concept of the higher power  Justice does not make you happy. Injustice does.  This is opposite of what Socrates says (justice helps the soul. It has intrinsic value and good consequences in the end.  Thrasymachus says take the sheep & Shepard example.  Main point Life of the unjust person is better than that of the just person.  No right or wrong, just view of self interest.  What is the broader significance of the exchange with Thrasymacus? He just wants to do what he states but his challenge is still there.  Even Socrates was not satisfied with the outcome of this discussion o Left only with Socratic wisdom Republic, Book Two o Key Figures Glaucon & Adeimantus  Plato’s Brothers  Reforming Thrasymachus’s challenge, but in a more honest pursuit of truth. o Three Types of Goods  Objects considered to be good  1. Something that is good in itself, intrinsically good  Health, love, friendship  (ex. Working out is fun)  2. Something that is good for its consequences

Plato & The Republic 2  Medicine, surgery, medical treatment, work 3. Something that is good in itself & for its consequences  Knowledge, money  gold/silver, beauty, volunteering.  Socrates says justice is in this category.  Justice (according to brothers (Claucon) Good Reputation; the person involve only decide of other things (in category 1)  Does Justice have Values?  You are just or not. o The Ring of Gyges  “Lord of the Rings”  This is a test to see f someone is just, truly just  Why use its power?  Maintain your reputation of justice, but go invisible to hide yourself when you did injustice, so you don’t have to pay and still succeed  If you had the ring, would you use it? Test to see just & in justice  If justice is good in itself, you would still use the ring o Big Questions  1. Is just good in itself?  2. Would you have any good reason to be just if you could get away with doing injustice, and still maintain reputation for justice? Republic, Book Two & Three o The perfectly just person vs. the unjust person  The next challenge reformulated o The search for Justice begins  Magnifying justice: justice in the city vs. justice in the soul  Lets construct the perfectly just city cause soul is too hard to find o What does this perfectly just city look like? o Origins of a city  Individualize- labor to guys doing what they do best, not everything. A Division of Labor o City of Pigs vs. Luxurious City  It has no luxuries; no indulgences  We must include these in our cities  A city without luxuries is not a human city, but a city of pigs o Why? Humans are spoiled.  They say that The City of Pigs is a perfectly just city. But its too simple. Its without temptations of injustice. The luxuries present temptation of injustice. o Origins of War 

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More desires mean more people, jobs, and stuff  therefore, you need more land & space; you must grow in size  leads to conquest; a.k.a. war. o Need for Guardians  Soldier Class  Protect & fight against foreign enemies  Protect internally  Conquest  They are the military, police, & we will see…Leaders  Must be both spirited & Philosophical  “Guard Dog”  people they know, like a dog, they have to fight, but also have knowledge on who to be loyal too o know friends vs. enemies o The Education of the Guardians  How do we educate a population?  What?  Musical Training (mental aspects)  Physical Training (Training of outside body is beneficial for your soul inside your body  Why?  Soul-craft, shaping character o Mold their souls in a particular fashion  Determines if they can hear/see truths later in life… determines if they are taught to be good or fine o Be able to apprehend truth and virtue  “Re-purifying the city”  How?  Supervision & censorship of musicians, poets, and craftspeople o Lyrics, stories, how things are built, etc… shape your character according to Socrates. So they need to be watched/censored especially stories  Who?  Selection of the “Complete Guardians” (vs. Auxilaries’) o Those who are the most incorruptible, the most virtuous, should rule.  Soldier class  Determined through tests o Complete Guardians  rulers of society o Most incorruptible mean?  Protect the city always. Those who understand what is good for the city. o A Republic of Lies?  Two kinds of stories

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True & False o Nonfiction vs. Fiction  Two Kinds of Falsehoods or Lies  White Lie, or “Lie of Words” – Term in The Republic o Not banished. Potentially there could be a role for lies in words. It does not corrupt or take away justice, virtue, and morality; instead they instill it. They help the soul and while fictional provide a moral to it. They call it like a useful drug or “useful lie”—those that help teach morality  Lie in the Soul o Lies about the most important things (justice, virtue, morality). They come from corrupt souls and they corrupt souls. o The Noble Lie: ‘Myth of the Metals’  Told to all children  3 Classes:  Ruling- Gold  Auxerlies- Silver  Producers- Iron/Bronze (Crafts People)  You have a metal mixed into your souls.  The are told that this division of classes is important and it needs to be protect. Every child must e tested. If found to be attributed to a different class, they must be moved to that other class to keep classes separated and defined.  Children of the Earth  Everyone is brothers and sisters and are children of the earth  A loyalty/protectiveness of the society/earth  Mixing of gold, silver, bronze/iron into souls  Social hierarchy but also mobility. Republic, Book Three o The way of life of the guardians  Geared towards a value system  No private property o They would then want more & more wealth, fame, etc…  No private families  Communal lives.  Why these living arrangements?  Those who have power & most accessible to violence are the ones you much check & keep track of. o It is “A Moral Training” so to speak…  Realities of human life

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o This process if re-purification is the real life process (reality of life) Dangers if not followed? o Guard dogs vs. wolves concept  Guard dogs  Sheep  Producers

o Question  Should politics promote morality? How far can/should politics (e.g. laws, education) go in doing so?  In favor- Politics always involves morals…politics needs morals/morality  BUT… who decides morality? Leads to disagreements on morality—Is it individually based or is it bigger, or collectively based? o Different tiers of morality? o Most of us agree on high tiers of morality, however as the tiers decrease, we seem to disagree more. Republic, Book Four o The (Re-)Purified City  3 classes  Rulers  Auxiliaries  Producers  Happiness of each class?  Guardian Life sucks….Socrates argues that we are trying to give each class an equal share of happiness; not one group getting a higher/lower amount  4 classical Greek virtues  A good city will have all four virtues o 1. Wisdom o 2. Courage o 3. Temperance o 4. Justice  Wisdom o The knowledge of ruling; knowing what is best/good for the city. Wisdom is located in the ruling class. You always put the common good first.  Courage o The auxiliaries class  ones who protect the city are only ones that need to be brave o What is it?

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A knowledge of who and what should or should not be feared (similar to guard dog theory) o Taught by the rules but the ones who know & have to live by it are the auxiliaries.  Temperance o Kind of knowledge and agreement about who should rule  Rulers ruling over the producers with the aid/help of the auxiliaries class. (auxiliaries still have some rules too…) o Temperance & Moderation must be located throughout the city. Everyone has to participate/agree to this in the perfect city.  Justice o Doing what you are naturally suited to do o Stay in your own class  Everyone specializes in something and they do that.  Injustice is meddling outside your specialty; to justice in your role. o Justice was there all the time, from the start o Justice lives in the city in everyone in every class o Temperance and justice similar to myth of the metals: acceptance to ruling relationship same as metals respecting higher metals. o From “justice in the city” to ‘justice in the soul’  3 parts of the soul  Rational – Reason o It deliberates on what it wants, what is good for the person; logic; it calculates; it is wisdom  Spirited – Spirit o When your appetite is overruling your reason, your spirit is getting mad and comes to your reasons aid. o This is your consciousness  Produces anger/guilt  Wants to make you follow your higher reason  Appetitive- Appetite o Things you want: Wealth, power, strength, sex, hunger, thirst. o Temperance and justice. Know their place and stay in that place in their soul  Proper Ruling Relationship

Plato & The Republic 7 o Reason ruling over the appetites with the help of spirit. o Question  What is the relationship between the just soul & the just city?

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o 3 Interpretations  1. In the just city, all souls are just or none of the souls are unjust  2. In the just city, only the rulers’ souls are just  Why would only the rules have just souls? They are the ones that are the most moral, vitreous, and incorruptible. Dependent on which spirit is in you decides what class you are.  3. The point is bout the just soul, not the just city.  Talk about the city was just a detour/analogy for the soul/just soul discussion. o Meant to show the absurdity of the city; of politics  The absurdity of blending philosophy and politics  Justice really is what is inside us (soul) according to passaged 443 C&D (pp. 146).  Or o Producers have perfect soul because they must have temperance & justice but are they more just than others? Maybe…? Republic, Book Five, 471c on to Book Six until 502c o Philosophy & Politics  1. The Philosopher- King  Rulers are philosophers  The answer to the question of whether or not the just city is possible, & how the just city could come to be o Yeah, were creating a ideal & even if not possible, still gives us a model onto which we can judge real life too

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o Until philosophers become kings or kings become philosophers, this city cannot be. Once this happens, then the wheels can start to turn  He mentions it is very unlikely to happen & would be a chance encounter  Rebuttal those people are evil and useless 2. Why are most philosophers either evil or useless?  Corruption & mis-education of those with the best natures o But these people have the best talents o 3 ways:  1. Society is great beast, soon you must just conform to them  2. Their ego gets nurtured. They take themselves as the best person  3. People get exploited from other people  Analogy of the Ship: (pg 172, left side) o Philosopher- Stargazer/ True Captain o Society- Ship o Ship Workers/Sailors- Politicians o Owner- Public.  There is a ship, which is society. The owner is dopey, half blind, old, big off essentially, not very able to navigate a ship correctly/successfully. The ship workers/sailors beg/cambering to become captain by impressing the ship owner. The people outside, the stargazers, are the ones who learn the ship, weather, etc…in order to run the ship successfully. They possess the right knowledge. 3. But who is the philosopher?  Lover of knowledge, the one who witnesses & practices/Protects wisdom/knowledge on what is good/best for the city....