PLATO

Nishant Kumar
Theory of forms

•Only few have the capacity to grasp true knowledge.

•True knowledge transcends empirical world of sensation.
•World of becoming – world of being.
•Intelligible world- pure knowledge- permanent- stable knowledge- infallible and certain
•Divided line- doxa and episteme.
Theory of forms
 Philosopher ruler
 Who is a philosopher?
 According to Socrates, philosopher as one who loved wisdom, had a passion for knowledge, was always curious and
eager to learn.
 He was a lover of Truth.
 Why Philosopher should rule?
 ‘Until philosophers are Kings, or the Kings and the Princes of this world have the spirit and power of philosophy, and
political greatness and wisdom meet in one .... cities will never have rest from their evils- nor the human race, as I
believe- and then only will this our state have possibility of life and behold the light of a day’ – Republic (Book 5).
  
 Knower of good.
 Unbiased, not corrupt, not afraid of death, devoid of emotional and economic consideration.
 As sick person goes to doctor, sick polity goes to philosopher
 Philosopher king is a wise ruler who would make laws according to idea of good.
 Important function
 To maintain the size of state
 To watch no extreme poverty or excess wealth.
 To retain prescribed system of education.
  
 Criticism
 Tyrant
 Unity at cost of plurality and liberty
 Rule at cost of liberty and equality
 Justice

 State nothing but the ‘individual writ large’.

 He firmly believed in an organic theory of the state.
 State was a magnified form of the individual.
 Greek language 'Dikaiosyne'- RIGHTEOUSNESS.
 Plato's theory of justice stemmed from the discussion which went on among
characters such as Cephalus, Polernarchus,Thasymachus, Glaucon, Adeimantus and
Socrates in Republic.
 Cephalus and Polemarchus theory of justice of traditional morality that justice was
giving every man his due, in other words, 'doing to others what is proper' (Cephalus)
or 'doing good to friends and harming enemies' (Polemarchus).
 For Plato, justice did not consist in adherence to the laws, for justice was based on
the inner nature of the human spirit.
 It was also not the triumph of the stronger over the weaker, for justice protects the
weaker against the stronger.
 A just state, Plato argued, was achieved with an eye to the good of the whole.
Cont…
Part of soul Virtue Class

Rationality Wisdom Rulers

Spirit Courage Auxiliaries

Appetite Temperance Artisans

 Cont…
 GOLD, SILVER, BRASS- noble lie of earth for
legitimacy.
 Acceptability of difference but unity being born of same
material.

Criticism
 Functional specialization but no space for mobility
 Is non-interference really possible?
 Are three classes enough- mic talents- late awakening
 No objective criteria.
 Education
 Mix of Athenian excellence, individual achievement + Spartan discipline and military training.
 Only for the guardian class.
 State controlled.
 Balance between the individual needs and social requirement.
 He proposed same education for both boys and girls.
 6-18+2.
 Music+gymnastics- gentle+fierce
 Censorship of story and music.
 At 20 test
 10 yrs- arithmetic, geometry and astronomy- mind+body.
 At 30 test
 Another 5 yr in dialectics
 + 15 yrs internship at lower grade.
 Pool of philosopher rulers

Criticism
 Undemocratic not for artisan
 Mathematics given too much importance and notempathy or others
 Too abstract and theoretical
 Restricted autonomy.
 Communism of Property

 Aim to create meritocratic society free of corruption, selfishness. Inspired by

the Spartan society.
 Only applicable for guardian class
 barracks.
 No possession of gold or silver.
 Survival- small property
 Fixed quota of goods required for subsistence from producing class.
 Third class allowed.

Criticism
 Saw Property essentially evil
 Against human psychology of reward and motivation
 Jealousy as lower class allowed- system does not work.
 Communism of wives
 Aimed to end nepotism and corruption.
 Only applicable for guardians.
 Permanent monogamous Marriage as discriminatory against women. So wants to reform.
 Saw marriage as utilitarian- to produce offspring.
 Aim to produce best breed, proposed controlled form of sexual union.
 Only best of men (good at war) and women (beautiful) should be paired.
 Best marriageable age: 25-55 for men; 20-40 for women.
 Philosopher ruler to decide on sexual unions. He conducts open lottery but has to secretly manage that the best men and
best women are paired.
 He also ensures son-mother, father-daughter not paired.
 Abortion allowed for disposal of defective infants; handicapped; born outside regulated marriage; and outside
prescribed age limit.
 Once children born, taken away by state to state maintained crèches and nurseries.
 Because of no knowledge about one’s children all men and women consider all children as their own and love each
equally.
 
Criticism
 Ended emotional bonding
 Strauss, aristote claim family natural so detrimental for society
 First stage of socialization lost
 All father no father
 Why third class allowed- scope for jealousy
 How do you maintain system
 Ideal state & regenerations

 Reason rules over spirit and appetite

 Philosopher ruler at centre and justice in society.
 degeneration
 timocracy- soldiers above philosophers- Spartan- wealth and
private property gets prominence.
 Oligarchy- further deteoriation- as wealth gets centrality- few
rich rule. It creates opposition and further detoriation
 Democracy- mobocracy- appetite rules- chaos and lawlessness
further allows rise of tyrant
 Tyranny – loss of freedom.
 Therefore philosopher’s rule is best.
 Second best state

 Syracuse- sicily, Dionysius and his son

 Law should be supreme and guide both ruler and ruled
 5040 households- each family equal plot of land.
 Everyman marry by 35- otherwise pay an annual fine or
tax.
 Rich:poor- 4:1. Excess with treasury.
 All fit for military service to vote- assembly- 300- 100- 37.
 Nocturnal Council 10 eldest. Equivalent to philosopher
king.
 Council- 360- 90*4- first 360 each, then 180 then 90 each.
 Is he forerunner of totalitarian?
 Crossman- Plato was wrong for his time and ours.
 Assumptions based on errors
 A) the poor faith he had in the ability and intelligence of the common people,
 B) that final truth could be discovered by suppressing freedom of thought.
 Plato attacked foundations of democracy- liberty, equality, and self government.
 Berlin – 1) Plato didnot grant individual the freedom of choice.
 2)rejected pluralism or acceptance of different values and lifestyles. So anti democrat- close to totalitarian
 Popper (1945)- accused Plato, along with Hegel and Marx, as enemies of the open society.
 Open society- democratic with freedom to criticize, belief etc.
 Men not forced to rigid discipline in name of unity and social cohesion.
 anti-individualist, anti-humanist an anti-democratic
 only ruling class and ruler mattered- his views mattered as all intelligent.
 However, H. D. Ranking unfair to say he totally ignored the individual.
 Individual central to his philosophy of justice.
 Aimed at welfare of society.
 Gave regard to diversity of human character and nature.
 Joad – exaggeration to compare fascism and plato.
 Intent was noble
 Aim absolute good and justice
 Common good
 Some ideas get close but unfair.