Platos Ideal State Example For Students

Platos Ideal State This paper will discuss the different parts of Platos ideal state, as well as link them to the normative concepts of Property, Common/Public Good, and Justice. The discussion of justice will be lengthier than the others, on the grounds that it is the basis for a great deal of the discussion contained in Platos Republic. Each concept will be specifically discussed in its relation to the ideal state, as well as its function within the society. Firstly, the state will consist of three parts. These parts will be kept separate so there will be no interference in their prescribed function. The three parts are as follows: rulers, who will attend to political affairs of the state, auxiliaries, who will protect the state, and craftsmen, who will provide their skills to the state. The citizens will be told a myth in order to control breeding outside of the class. A shortened version basically says that rulers have gold blood, auxiliaries have silver, and the craftsmen have bronze. When breeding takes place, it must be gold to gold, silver to silver, and bronze to bronze. However, Plato does allow the ideal that it is possible for gold blood to give birth to silver or bronze, and vice versa. The rulers and auxiliaries are actually divided from a previous class, in which they both belonged, called guardians. The guardians are the most intelligent and skilled. They will live together, and be educated together. When the education and training reaches a certain point, they will be divided into the two classes, rulers and auxiliaries. The rulers are selected by their superior skill and knowledge. They will move on to more academic education, while the auxiliaries will continue with more physical training. The rulers continued education would consist of mathematics as well as dialectic. After this period they will be returned to civilization in order to hold various positions in government. When they are at the age of fifty, they will be ready to be rulers. By this time, they will have acquired the four cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, discipline, and justice. The cause of this lengthy education is to transform the future rulers into philosophers. The rulers of Platos ideal state are basically philosopher kings. The explanation for this is that philosophers love knowledge. A love of knowledge brings forth the seeking of more knowledge. While seeking this knowledge, the philosophers must understand the Forms. Forms are anything in its pure state, such as: Justice, Beauty, Size, etc In order to understand Forms you must understand why something has its assigned attribute. It must be understood what it is that makes something beautiful, or why something is large. The highest Form of all is Goodness. An analogy to help understand the Form of Goodness is this: Goodness is to knowledge as the sun is to sight. The sun gives us light, so that it might reflect off objects, allowing them to be seen. Goodness gives us truth, and truth in turn illuminates the Forms, making them intelligible, allowing knowledge to be gained from them. Therefore, philosophers are in constant search of Goodness, this is what separates them from the rest and gives them the ability to rule the state. Learning- loving philosophers actually benefit from the political responsibility forced upon them in gaining access to the greatest learning matter, the idea of the good. Secondly, we will discuss the craftsmen class. This class consists of everyone that is not an auxiliary or a ruler. Doctors, masons, carpenters, etc, will all be in this category. The Origin Of Our Ideas David Hume EssayNow, it will be discussed why Plato believed each one of these forms will fail. Firstly, Timocracy, is a state ruled by the military class. The auxiliaries do not have as much knowledge as the rulers, therefore they are more likely to make mistakes. Suppose they were to make a mistake in breeding. Out of this mistake could come a person with political power who possibly has bronze in their veins. This will lead to the ruling class to want property and private lives. This will lead to ambition, which will lead to courage and honor taking the place of wisdom and intelligence. Since the rulers of a state need the virtue of wisdom, the state has already become unjust. Oligarchy is a form of government that is ruled by the wealthy. Since rulers are chosen on the basis of their wealth, wealth is what is most important to them. This may cause them to rule unjustly. We now have a rich class and a poor class, which will always be plotting against each other. The unity of our state is now destroyed, as well as its justness. Next is the democracy, a form of government in which anyone can rule, regardless of qualifications. Politicians in a democracy are considered good leaders as long as they are friends to the people. Since everyone does as they like, t is not a unified state, where everyone has a duty, but more of a collection of anarchic states. Finally there is Tyranny, the worst of all forms, which is the rule of one by force. A tyrannies downfall is simple, the ruler is controlled by his desires, no matter what they may be, or who they may harm. A tyrant will use any force or means necessary in order to feed his lust, greed, and other evil desires. I enjoyed reading Platos Republic immensely, I think its his idealism I that attracts me to his way of thinking. I definitely have mixed feelings about the ideal state. Some things I like, and others scare me to death. I dont understand what keeps the rulers from wanting possessions, but I guess it is my love of privacy and property that hinders my sight. I also dont understand how the myth of the blood will endure their increasing knowledge. If the goal is to have a ruler with a love of knowledge, then someday they will awaken from their ignorance of the myth. Another thing I have wondered, is who will be qualified to teach the future rulers? How will these qualifications be decided? There are many flaws Platos ideal state, however, I have yet to see an idea that isnt.