References: Bloom, Allan. The Republic of Plato. Basic Books, 1991
References: Bloom, Allan. The Republic of Plato. Basic Books, 1991
I believe that Plato’s Allegory can be turned into an allegory of the presidential process. The candidates try to hold back any information that may damage their character in the eyes of the voters. For example, this year’s upcoming presidential election our presidential candidates have been caught withholding information from the public. I think that the presidential candidates are like the puppeteers from Plato’s Allegory and the American people are the prisoners that are shackled. The only truth that the prisoners know is what the puppeteer’s project before them. They are also similar to the puppeteers due to their control and divulgence of misinformation. The voters only know what is in their display, they have been exposed to it their…
Plato was an interesting individual, and has always been one of my favorite Philosophers. I personally like most of his political ideals, and find them almost in alignment with my own. In particular I like his reasoning when it comes to the citizens that make up the city-state, along with the leadership. So throughout this essay I plan on drawing from the Republic to talk more about this Philosopher’s ideas.…
One of the most influential minds in western philosophy is of Plato. Plato lived from 422-347 B.C, was born into an aristocratic family in the city of Athens. He was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle. Plato followed the basic ideas of Socrates, in which no laws are to be broken despite their relevance. He makes clear why laws should be followed and why disobedience to the law is rarely justified. Plato is considered a very essential figure in the contribution of philosophy and an essential figure to western tradition. He was the prime founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning within the Western World. Plato has a range of teachings that have been used to instruct a wide spread of subjects. Some…
In Ayn Rand's Anthem freedom is non existent. People's actions must involve the society. People are not allowed to think for themselves. To act on your own would be a great transgression. Equality, secretly, works on his invention, knowing, of course, that if caught he and his invention would be destroyed. Freedom in this society is, although forbidden, is like being an individual. This is what Prometheus likes about the "Golden One," the fact that she is like an individual.…
In this excerpt of the discussion between Polus and Socrates, they are trying to decide if suffering something unjust is worse and more shameful than actually doing what is unjust. Polus states that it is worse to suffer, but more shameful to commit, an unjust act. When Socrates begins his argument against this, he questions Polus on the distinction between what is admirable and good, and what is shameful and bad. In Polus’ eyes, these pairs of words do not hold the same meaning. However, Socrates believes that what is good and bad actually defines what is admirable and shameful.…
The Socratic Method is a form of teaching or arguing that is executed by asking leading questions to someone rather than just stating a conclusion or opinion outright. The broad goal of the Socratic Method is to ultimately have the person who is being asked the questions personally figure out, disagree with, or agree with whatever it is that is being debated by themselves. Such a method, which is adopted by Socrates in The Republic, is essential in philosophy because it is the only way to acquire wisdom or insight-virtues that cannot be physically or verbally transferred to another-is from within. Socrates believes that people have the raw materials within to figure out philosophical questions; they just need to channel them. That idea is the basis behind his belief that a teacher should not merely insert knowledge into an empty mind, but rather help individuals harness the raw materials they already posses to find "truths" in life. According to Socrates the human mind, much like the varying definitions of justice, is overwhelmed with confusion and jumble.…
The term freedom itself can hold so much power in society. It is what drives a society to succeed or die. Freedom means individuality,…
The meaning of freedom has changed throughout time, its face is best defined by those who struggle, fight, and even die for it. In ancient Rome, slaves, often referred to as gladiators, fought to the death in the Colosseum for the morbid delight of the crowd. If the slave fought like a lion and pleased the crowd, they would on rare occasions by virtue of the Pollice verso (with thumb turned) find it within themselves to grant the slave freedom. In an elaborate ceremony, a gladiator who won freedom was given a symbolic token, a wooden sword named rudis. It must be noted that although the slave was free, they were never allowed Roman citizenship (“Rudiarius”). Imagine, being unshackled for the last time, no longer needing to literally fight for your life, receiving the rudis and walk out of the Colosseum, free. Today, the Merriam Webster’s Dictionary definition of freedom is, “the quality or state of being free: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action” (“Freedom”). Although freedom can be described adequately with words, the word and what it means is epitomized by those who have not only struggled for it, but more importantly they have made it their mission to fight for the freedom of others!…
Plato found freedom in the world of intellect. Let's take a look at his quote:…
Before I started reading Plato's the Republic, I was loathe to admit that reading those philosophy books were gonna really change how I view myself. It was totally a waste of time to read these vague and complicated books. As I went on reading the republic, I saw many similar things that still existed in our society. In the book, Plato prescribes severe dictates concerning the cultural life of the city. He rules out all poverty, with the exception of hymns to the gods and eulogies for the famous, and places restraints on painting and architecture. Does this look like "Cultural Revolution" that happened in China in late 60s in twentieth century? There are differences though, which is how the leaders see the results of the destruction of human civilization. Plato expresses regret at these aesthetic sacrifices, he feels they must be made for the sake of education, which transforms the unhealthy luxurious city into a pure and just city. However, our great leader didn't see any ruinous effects on our society until he reached the end of his life.…
“The Republic” by Plato is considered to be a Socratic dialogue finished in 390 BC. In what is considered one of the most valuable pieces of work of Plato tries to answer questions such as: why should people do good things? Or other questions like: are people rewarded for doing bad things? However he also treats other themes as the theory of forms, the immortality of the soul and the roles of the philosopher and of poetry in society. But what we shall explore is how he develops the theme of justice, describe his just state and finally reflect on this just state.…
In his book “the Republic”, Plato tried to build up an ideal society. He divided the ideal society into three classes: rulers, guardians, and workers. As long as each class of people lived harmonious and did their responsibilities, the society would become stable and prosperous. How did make people live with harmony? Obviously, the core issue of “the republic” is justice. Justice is a proper, harmonious relationship among the people in the three classes. Plato suggested that three virtues of individual which were wisdom, courage, and moderation would make individual person just. Also, in order to get the justice, Plato used the “Gold lie” to placate unhappiness with one’s place in life.…
Ardent defines freedom as political action. (Ardent,1960) In her definition the only way to be free is to be politically active; since no freedom can be exercised if action is not a criterion. (Ardent,1960) She states that political freedom appears when we interact with each other, which in turn generated a political environment and results in the discussion of politics. (Sonie, Class Notes) To be free is to be active and to not be free is a form of individual isolation. (Ardent,1960) Freedom is something we can observe and act upon therefore freedom cannot exist on its own, it needs to be called into being as an act of creation. (Ardent,1960) She introduces the concept of the “public realm” and the “private realm”. The public realm is the area that political freedom can be exercised much like the Athenian did in ecclesia (Ardent,1960), she states that there has to be a public realm or "freedom lacks the worldly space to make its appearance" (Ardent,1960, pg. 30). The private realm is private life and political freedom cannot exist in the private realm because freedom needs to be public. Overall, Ardent summarizes freedom as a public political action and political action puts into motion something that didn’t exist prior to it being called upon.…
Freedom is the ability to choose the principles by which one directs the conduct of their life. Freedom is not a matter of being in control of Life or one’s affairs. We do not have control; we have a choice. We do not choose our destination; we make choices that set our direction in life. We do not choose what we reap; we choose what to sow.…
Isaiah Berlin’s explanation of positive and negative freedoms is particularly helpful in understanding ancient Greek society. In Greek society if you were a slave, you had no freedoms, positive or negative. If you were a landowner, you had some negative freedoms, like being free from having someone else's will forced upon you. Those who were not slaves, but did not have enough land to support themselves, worked for wages, which was considered slavish. If you were well off, you could have positive freedoms, like the ability to practice politics, because you had leisure (or "free") time. You were always striving for more freedom. As Isaiah Berlin puts it, “The 'positive' sense of the word 'liberty' derives from the wish on the part of the individual to be his own master” (Berlin, Two Concepts of Liberty, 1969: 8). The disparity between levels of freedom was an accepted part of Greek…