760 REPUBLIC of work: Philosophie daloeve utor Pao (27-347 B.C) Time: Fh cetry B.C Locale: The Pires, Greece Fit transcribed: Fourth century B.C “The Republic is Plato's masterpiece, not only because it presents fascinating defense ofthe author's conceP- tion of the ideal state but also because it gives us the ‘most sustained and convincing portrait of Socrates 38 tritial and ereative philosopher. Other dialogues, such as the Phaedo and the Apology, may be superior as stud- ies of the personality and character of Socrates, ‘but the Republic is unexcelled as an exhibition of the famed Socratic method being brought to bear on such questions as "What is justice?” and "What kind of state would be ost just?” "Ahough the constructive arguments of this dialogue come from the mouth of Socrates, it is suf to assume that much of the philosophy is Platonic in origin, AS a rough reading rule, we may say that the method is Socr- ti, but the content is provided by Pato himsel, Among the ideas which are presented and defended inte Repub- lic are the Platonic theory of Foems—the formal proto- types of al things, objective o inellectual—the Platonic conception ofthe nature and obligations of the philoso- per, and the Patone theory and eiticism of poetry. But {he central concern of the authors wih the idea of justice in man andthe state, The pursuit of this idea makes the Republi the longest of the dialogues withthe exception ofthe Laws. “The diloguc is discussion between Socrates and var- ious fiends while they ate in the Piraeus for festival. The discussion of justice is provoked by a remark made by an old man, Cephalus othe effet thatthe principal advantage of being wealthy is that man near death is able to repay what he owes tothe gods and men, and is thereby able tobe jus inthe hope of achieving happy afterlife. Socrates objects to this conception of justice, ‘mainaining that whether a person shoul return what he has received depends on the circumstances. For example 4 man who has received dangerous weapons from his friends while sane should no, if he is just, return those weapons if his fiend while mad demands them. Tolemarchus amends the idea and dec {ast help our fin hi no just man would ever sanction makin food and bad to the bad “Thrasymachus then proposes the theory tht Caen oe meer tbe eange et Js that justice is relative tothe law, and the lay ty the stronger party according this interes ta, Soerates maneuvers Thrasymachus ing sya Sometimes rulers make mistakes. Ithis isso, geet times the law is sesns ther iterest; when ee inst he interests ofthe stonger party, it rig ‘vats mt to the interest ofthe stronger pany oe The secret ofthe Soca method i ee ay analysis ofthis argument. The term “imeres™ or yt interest of” is ambiguous, sometimes meaning yi nani interested in, what he Wants, and at oh nek that e could want i he were ot in eto, as wines say, "But although you want tit snot relly trae interest to have it” Socrates adroit shits from os oe of the expression to the other 50 that Thasyrae apparently contradicts himself. In ths indret way Sc tales makesitclearbothto the “victim” andiothe oniseg thatthe proponent ofthe claim—in this cae, Thay tmachus—has not cleared it of all possibility of mse interpretation, Socrates then goes on to say that justice must be n. ative to the needs of those who are served. net ty desires of those who serve them. The phsi, example s physician, must make the eath ofthe pea his primary concer if he is to be jas. Socrates suggests that their understanding of se would be clanfie if they were to considera cone case, say the state: if by discussion they could come b understand what a state must be in order tobe jo, might be possible to generalize and to arrive at ana of justice isl. Beginning with an account of what a state would ne to be in order to fulfil its functions a a sate, Sos then proceeds to develop the notion of an del stb asking what the rclations of the various groups feiss to each ther should be Every state needs thre clases of etzens: he Gant ‘ans, who rule and advise the rest; the Auxiliaries. "b? provide military protection forthe state; andthe Was he husbandmen and other providers of food, csi ad such useful materials. i fondepic x state these three classes of citizens function 12 Hoh dong 8 OWN proper busines without sett ith the 25 ofthe oer classes iene his Ha the individ person, Socrates ‘ofa ust atone who Ves Co each of hs es oper sk eltng them o each eter aus a. Justa the state has three distinct, a ma the governing the defending andthe pvc eto the individual person bas three corre: ig bode tjements the rational, the spirited, and the in ty the sisted element Plato means the pa. 2 pest of mas alr, hs propensity tanger or anonal emotions. He so uses the term anger that as fr hat we cll Fhtous indignation, the alba defense ofresson against desire. The rational sa the dsceoing and calculating ce of man’s net itis what enables man o be wise and ju- cco mn i a ie same tings in preference others se guman, theo, is one who Kees each ofthe thre cahbns of is mature doings proper work with the deme clement in command. A petson is brave, sys if his spirited clement remains always in the Soar ieason. He is wise ifheis governed by eason, ceo takes ito account the welfare ofthe entire nd eis temperate if is spirit and appetive work rpms under the guidance of reason. ummager 10 discover those citizens best suited to be Garam, Socrates proposed that the ideal tate educate Gof eiizens in music and gymnastics, continually a1 in them to decide upon the sort of occupation for at they would best be fitted. He also arpucs that the Tabane and Auxiliaries should have no private prop- Seeead that they each should share a community of tries and children Mece obvious communal features of the ideal state ated many critics to dismiss Plato's conception as ‘ev lable Bu its well to remember that inthe dia- Tout Soerts tells is listeners that hei not concerned eek the practicality of his stat; the conception ofthe ans constructed merely to bring out the nature of sie Jive considering the education of the Guardians, Soc- rates buds the conception of the philosopher asthe tue ‘fsterat or rational man the ieal ruler forthe teal Se The philsopher is a over of wisdom, and he alone nage o keep appetite and spirit in harmony with rea- ton Consequently the Guardians ofthe state should be educated a8 philosophers, supplementing ther taining ‘tarihmti, geomet, sttonomy, and music with raining inthe pilosophic sil of dialectic. But the prospective Guardans should not be allowed to undertake pilo- sophicedcation until they are old enough to take it er- tna 761 ously, not a mai it as mere amusement. After his philosophic ERNE the rspetve Guardian should take prin the pola! ths ime 50 that at ity he can assume political power wit ome knowledge ofthe acta ma » sth which he hl concer, connection with his discussion of the philosopher, Socrates intoduced his famous myth of the cave. Men tr lke prisoners ina cave that aces ava from the Hight Unable to se themselves or anyone else beease he ae shackled they observe only the shadows of hings o he in front of them, not realizing thatthe reality is something qui different from the shadows. The philos- fers es man who feaves the ae meso kow ngs they really are, and returns reluctantly to help bf eri ‘men who think that shadows ca up the ‘The philosopher comes to know reality through astudy ofthe Forms or Ideas of particular things. The world of our experiences like the world of shadows, but the world of Ideas isthe trv realty. For every class of objets, Such as beds (Socrates' example), there isan Ide-bed, 4 form shared by al particular beds, The man who stud- ies only the individual beds made by carpenters, or only the pictures of beds made by artists, knows only copies of reality (and, in the ease ofthe imitative artist, only copies of copies; but the philosopher, making the effort to lear the Idea itself, comes closer to reality Socrates objects to poetry and to art whenever they arcimitative, which they usually are. Although he admits that some poetry ean be inspiring in the patriot raining of the Guardians, be stresses the point that imitative art is corrupting because itis misleading. Physical things, afterall, are merely copies ofthe Forms, the Ideas; hence they are one step removed from reality. But works of art are copies of piysical things; hence they ae at least two steps removed from lity. Furthermore, the ats pats only a single aspect of a thing: hence strictly speaking, arts thre steps removed from aly Ison this account, as well as because ofthe immoral effect of the poetic style ofall but the most noble poets, tht Socrates ree- ‘ommends that imitative poets be banned from the sate. "The Republic closes with Socrates’ reaffirmation of his conviction that ony the ast man is truly happy, for only he harmonizes reason, appetite. and spirit by loving ‘wisdom and the Form of the Good. Te souls immoral, hheargues, because the sou’ llnes i injustice; yt injus- tice self oes not destroy a sou. Since the soul cannot be destroyed by any illness other than its own, it must be immortal, Socrates concludes by using a myth about Iie afer death fo show thatthe jut and wise man will prosper both inthis fife and “during the journey of thousand years.”