Cesar Reyes

Test 2
As students, faculty, staff and administrators of Metropolitan State University of Denver,
it is our responsibility to uphold and maintain an academic environment that furthers
scholarly inquiry, creative activity and the application of knowledge. We will not tolerate
academic dishonesty. We will demonstrate honesty and integrity in all activities related
to our learning and scholarship. We will not plagiarize, fabricate information or data,
cheat on tests or exams, steal academic material, or submit work to more than one
class without full disclosure.

Question 1In the first part of this essay I will examine The Republic by Plato and use the
definitions he has laid out in the text in particulate that of a just society to justify the
complete control of both social, and political life. This ideal state of government is
closely correlating to totalitarianism. By examining to what Plato describes as a just
society we can examine his reason to a tyrannical system of power to control of the
social, and political aspects of life by a king. By following the theory from the ground up
we can examine how Platos ideology of a just society leans towards a totalitarian state
in where there is no limits to legitimate use of political power.
Plato main objective in The Republic was to try to explain the nature of a good
life of that of a state. The good life is what the objective of the state should be trying to
generate within a society. What is good for the soul is the condition to that of the good
life. Plato lays out three attributions to man reason, spirit, and desire. A just man is a
man with reason, while a man with desires or passions will never be harmonic.
Passions are what because men to behave like animals
According to Plato these three parts that make up the city and soul of the main
actors within a society. Reason, spirit, and desire each corresponds to a role within a
state that men can attribute to. For example reason is attributed to the philosopher, the
person who use reason to distribute justice (Cahn, 63). Spirit is attributed to the
Warrior who is called upon to. And finally like mentioned, passions are described as
being animal instincts, and what distinguishes man from animals is the ability to reason
(Cahn, 64). And are attributed to merchants. Merchants will never be able to be fulfilled

by following their passions. A just man is a man who gains the ability to become
harmonic, to achieve this a man must be guided by reason, and not by passions.
Plato defines a just man as a man who is guided by reason. It is easy to see
that Plato regards the Philosopher king as the distributor of wisdom, and the actor best
qualified to generate rules within a society. It is because their ability to reason, and not
drive towards passions that make them best qualified to legislate (Cahn,43). Plato
explains that when a person is guided by reason they are being just, and when a man
pursing their passions will never be able to be a just man- A man who uses reason is a
happy man, and a harmonic man, and a life that steams passions will never be
harmonic (Cahn, 51). Plato Passions causes us to be animals, and humans have the
ability to reason.
The notion of happiness to Plato focuses within the mind, and often people
confused pleasures of the body as happiness. Plato goes on to explain the difference
by explaining that pleasure of the body as a temporal pleasure. By nature a city cannot
be self-sufficient according to Plato. Because there are men who do not have the
nature to set out rules, or to follow them. Merchants although they do have a purpose
within a society as wonders and job creators, do not have the ability to reason
(Cahn,63). It is the men who have the ability to reason who have the ablitity to set out
laws, and regulations to ensure a just society. It is the philosopher king within a society
that has the moral duty to use his reason. It is the notion of happiness that should be
the objective of a society.

The society must also attempt to achieve the value of justice instilled within, to
what is good on to itself, and what is good based on its consequences. It is up to a
person who is stronger than himself to control and to enact these rules (Cahn, 73-74). It
is up to a philosopher to control civil order along with political order as his duty. This
includes both social and political order, must maintain legitimacy with reason to be able
to legislate (Cahn, 84).
Plato concludes that the king has to control both social, and political order to
ensure the just life for a society. This includes all aspects of social life such as religion,
art, or any other passions. Platos discussion and explanations on the subjects of a
society goal

Question 2
The purpose to this section of essay is to examine St Thomas Aquinas argument,
and justification for human made laws, and to what ends we must abide by them. In
order to achieve this we must deconstruct the laws devised by Aquinas in Summa
Theologiae to illustrate the key differences set and based on the foundation of moral
virtues and ethics based of Aristotles conception of reason but applied to Christianity.
By observing the two particular laws (eternal, and natural), we can make the
assessment of what the justification of human laws pertain to.
Firstly we must define Eternal law as being perfect in nature. Because god is in
every aspect perfect so are his laws (Cahn, 305). These eternal laws on how God
intend for nature to carry on are Natural laws. Aquinas distinguishes eternal law for
being unchanging and eternal in nature. Every animal has a particular skill or of skills
that allow it to actively correspond with nature (Cahn, 306). Even man has its place to
where Aquinas states that Man are animals with a spark of god, that spark is reason
and that allows us to be in sync with gods eternal laws (Chan, 307-309). What
differentiate political law from Eternal and natural law from human law is that human
laws are political in nature, and are generally viable for a period of time (Cahn, 319).
Because human laws are only temporal, Aquinas argues that they are a
reflection of the general conscious of man during a period of time.

Aquinas argues

that a law is a dictate of the practical reason (Cahn, 321). In many cases political laws
are enacted for the common good to regulate trade, or provides a legal backbone for
equality, the same reason on why human laws change (Cahn 302).

Human law are

subject to change, because humans have the ability to reason, and improve upon their

legal code to become closer to the theology of god, and may require time to change.
(Cahn, 322). If we look back in history we can see that human laws have changed
dramatically even within the past century. It was only one and a half century ago when
there was a legitimate use of slavery.
Aquinas proceeds to make the argument that there is a little bit of god in every
single aspect of life. Political life like described before only represents a particular legal
code of a mentality of man at one particular time (Cahn, 306). This does not mean that
it is at all any more or any less practical, because it could very well behind selfish
reasons. Even our representation of god laws are not perfect, or in any way eternal.
Man can never reach pure consciousness to understand Gods true nature (Cahn, 322323). Aquinas makes these distinguishes because he explains that the bible can be
interpreted literally, but we as humans do not have the potential to understand god, and
with that even our understanding of the bible could be wrong.
Human laws are eternal and legitimate if the moral value of the law or political
and legal code corresponds with Christian virtues, Faith, Hope, and Charity (Cahn,
315). For example if there is a law that puts forwards the general interest of a
community over the individual interest of an individual, and does not directly contradicts
one of the other two laws than (Cahn, 315) . We must understand that there are
allegorical backgrounds within the bible also, because if we base our human made laws
corresponding with the literal interpretation of scripture then we could also potentially
legitimatize genocide, slavery, and war.
In conclusion, human laws can be justified as long as they correspond and do not
contradict with one of the other two laws. So humans may justify the political nature of

human laws in accordance to the inherit nature of the law in regards to observing the
two particular laws (eternal, and natural), we can make the assessment of what the
justification of human laws pertain to.

References:
Cahn, S. M. (2012). Classics of political and moral philosophy (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University
Press.