Plato's Republic Study Guide
1-Plato discusses father-son relationship
2-good character is a gift from the gods
3-the idea that Knowledge is a matter of recollection, and not of learning, observation, or study 4-Several dialogues tackle questions about art 5-Idea being the real
Plato’s Republic
Plato's Republic was a necessary catalyst for the advancement of human knowledge through the idea of using inductive reasoning. I feel it was important for scientific studies of the past to use inductive reasoning instead of deductive because it fuels the desire to learn or gain more knowledge through questions. Questioning the authority, whether it be the government, the Church, or numerous other topics is essential for creating a new way of thinking or any other change …show more content…
In doing so, Plato touches upon many important ideas about education, ethics, politics, and morality in this text. Scholars have pointed out that the main argument of the Republic is partly a response to the political unrest and instability Plato witnessed in contemporary Athenian society. Following the end of the Peloponnesian War, Athens became a democracy of sorts, led mostly by laymen, who, in Plato's view, tended to implement policies based more on popular demand rather than necessity or principle. Thus, Plato developed a perspective that viewed all contemporary forms of government as corrupt, theorizing that the only hope for finding true justice both for society and the individual lies in philosophy, and that “mankind will have no respite from trouble until either real philosophers gain political power, or politicians become by some miracle true philosophers.” This is the central theme of the Republic. In the context of this premise, Plato touches upon several major issues, focusing the most significant discussions on the nature and definition of ethics, education, and the organization of society and politics, as well as religion and philosophy. In contrast to the Sophists, who advocated the primacy of rhetoric over moral training, Plato proposes the creation of an educational system that focuses on the molding of character, with the ultimate goal of the educator being not just imparting knowledge, but also the ability “to turn the mind's eye to the light so that it can see for itself.” According to Plato, one of the main problems of his society was the inability to distinguish true reality from reflections or images of reality. Plato employs his famous allegory of the cave to illustrate how mankind learns and can be mislead by the manner in which he learns. Plato's preferred educational system strictly controls the upbringing of the ruling class in order to help
2-good character is a gift from the gods
3-the idea that Knowledge is a matter of recollection, and not of learning, observation, or study 4-Several dialogues tackle questions about art 5-Idea being the real
Plato’s Republic
Plato's Republic was a necessary catalyst for the advancement of human knowledge through the idea of using inductive reasoning. I feel it was important for scientific studies of the past to use inductive reasoning instead of deductive because it fuels the desire to learn or gain more knowledge through questions. Questioning the authority, whether it be the government, the Church, or numerous other topics is essential for creating a new way of thinking or any other change …show more content…
In doing so, Plato touches upon many important ideas about education, ethics, politics, and morality in this text. Scholars have pointed out that the main argument of the Republic is partly a response to the political unrest and instability Plato witnessed in contemporary Athenian society. Following the end of the Peloponnesian War, Athens became a democracy of sorts, led mostly by laymen, who, in Plato's view, tended to implement policies based more on popular demand rather than necessity or principle. Thus, Plato developed a perspective that viewed all contemporary forms of government as corrupt, theorizing that the only hope for finding true justice both for society and the individual lies in philosophy, and that “mankind will have no respite from trouble until either real philosophers gain political power, or politicians become by some miracle true philosophers.” This is the central theme of the Republic. In the context of this premise, Plato touches upon several major issues, focusing the most significant discussions on the nature and definition of ethics, education, and the organization of society and politics, as well as religion and philosophy. In contrast to the Sophists, who advocated the primacy of rhetoric over moral training, Plato proposes the creation of an educational system that focuses on the molding of character, with the ultimate goal of the educator being not just imparting knowledge, but also the ability “to turn the mind's eye to the light so that it can see for itself.” According to Plato, one of the main problems of his society was the inability to distinguish true reality from reflections or images of reality. Plato employs his famous allegory of the cave to illustrate how mankind learns and can be mislead by the manner in which he learns. Plato's preferred educational system strictly controls the upbringing of the ruling class in order to help