Plato - The Republic - Book II - Copy PDF

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Download Plato - The Republic - Book II - Copy PDF

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READ Plato’s Republic (assigned chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7:sections 514a2 to 517a8, 8) Book II: In the very beginning of Book II, Socrates expresses that he thought the discussion of justice was over, but Glaucon wished to continue when he asked the question, “do you wish really to persuade us, or only to seem to have persuaded us, that to be just is always better than to be unjust?” Glaucon said that three categories of good exist: 1. Things that are desired for their consequences, such as physical training and medical treatment. “…such as gymnastic, and the care of the sick, and the physician’s art; also the various ways of moneymaking–these do us good but we regard them as disagreeable…” 2. Things that are desired for their own sake, such as joy. “…for example, harmless pleasures and enjoyments, which delight us at the time, although nothing follows from them?” 3. What he calls the highest class: things we desire for both their own sake and what we get from them, such as knowledge, sight, and health. “…which are desirable not only in themselves, but also for their results?” Socrates says that justice belongs with the highest class, while “the many” say it belongs with the first category. People view justice as a necessary evil which is better suffering from each other’s injustices that stem from weakness and vulnerability. It is practiced in fear. Glaucon wants Socrates to prove why justice is desirable and belongs in the highest class: desired for its own sake and consequences. Glaucon furthers his point with a thought experiment. He uses the story of a ring that gives the wearer the power of invisibility for his explanation. He says that this man that finds the ring is just until he realizes he can turn invisible. The man begins to act unjust without fear of negative consequence. Glaucon says that the most just man would still behave unjustly with this ring. He would indulge in all the urges he has, such as power or wealth. It proves people are only just because they are afraid of punishment. He explains that this is a rational train of thought. Living an unjust life leads to a more pleasant life. The man allowed to be unjust is rewarded with wealth, while the just man when found unjust “will be scourged, racked, bound–will have his eyes burnt out; and, at last, after suffering every kind of evil, he will be impaled.”

Adeimantus breaks into the conversation and strengthens Glaucon’s argument by claiming that justice is not praised by anyone for its own sake, but for the rewards that it can lead to in this life and afterlife. He says that parents “are always telling their sons and their wards that they are to be just” for the sake of character and reputation. He requests what Glaucon did in the beginning; that Socrates prove justice to be desirable in the absence of external rewards. He wants justice to be desirable for its own sake, similar to joy, health, and knowledge. Socrates states that there are two kinds of political justice: 1. Justice that belongs to a city or state 2. Justice that belongs to an individual He starts with the justice of the city because it is bigger than a man and should be easier to first look at justice at the political level. He would later investigate a comparable justice in the individual. He builds a theoretical perfectly just city from scratch to see when and how justice enters. Socrates introduces the principle of specialization into the argument: that every individual must perform a role they are naturally suited and leave others’ roles alone. Specialization demands division of labor in an appropriate way. This is the only way Socrates is convinced that everything can be done at the highest level. The just city, according to Socrates, starts with filling roles that provide necessities of life: food, clothing, health, and shelter. It is farmers, crastsmen, and doctors who do their own jobs and do not engage in other roles who populate the city. They are the producing class because they have a role to produce objects for use. The city stays just and healthy because it is governed only by necessary desires. Glaucon deems it a “city of pigs” and says it is impossible because people desire unnecessary things as well. He asks, “how else would you feed the beasts?” while referring to luxury. Socrates attempts to transform the city in a city of luxury next. With luxury in demand, the roles of merchant, actor, poet, tutor, and beautician are created. He says the wealth will ultimately lead to wars, so warriors are needed to keep peace within the city and protect it from outside. He expands on the nature and education of these guardians and why developing these individuals is crucial for the city – “they ought to be dangerous to their enemies, and gentle to their friends.” Members of this class must selected carefully; people with correct nature.

In order to produce guardians, nature must be protected with education. This education will use training of the body, and music and poetry for the soul. It is the most aspect of the city. The luxurious city can be purged and purified out of guardians through education. Stories told to guardians in training must be watched because they are what shaped a child’s soul. He has two laws for the telling of these stories: 1. Gods must always be represented as entirely good and responsible for what is good in the world. Otherwise, children will grow up thinking the negative things gods did in stories was permissible. 2. Gods cannot be represented as sorcerers who change themselves into different forms or as liars. Otherwise, children will believe there is no need for a reverence for truth and honesty....