The Republic
The Republic
By Plato
Preview
Plato's Republic is a classic work of political philosophy portrayed as a Socratic dialogue which spans ten books in total. It delves into the concepts of justice and governance and also throws light on the relationship of the individual with the community in which he or she lives in.
About the Author
Plato was a Greek Philosopher, widely considered to be the greatest and most influential Political Philosophers of all time. He was a student of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle. He founded what can be called as the first institution of higher learning in Athens called the Academy.
What to expect? An insight into justice and society
Plato is perhaps the most famous philosopher of all time in the western world. In this book, Plato reproduces a Socratic lecture which delves into the key attributes of a civilized and just society.
You will get an understanding of the Socratic method of arriving at the truth, which is to take an accepted generalized truth and see if you can find a counterexample to nullify its truth. The process repeated several times will lead you closer to the real truth.
Among other things, you will also discover what it means to be just, the five types of government, and which type of government is the best.
Though many arguments in the book will not find their place under the sun today, the book remains one of the cornerstones of Political Philosophy. In this quid, we will put forth the main ideas of this classic work.
You will learn:
Why giving back what one owes to someone is not necessarily a just act
Why democracy is one of the worst forms of government
Why only a philosopher can provide a just rule
What is justice?
Socrates employs his famous Socratic method and asks what justice is. Polemarchus claims that justice is aiding friends and harming foes. Socrates responds by assessing situations in which it is moral to harm. Once he finds that there are no situations that exist in which harm to any other is a justified act, he declares that such a definition of justice is incorrect. He also asserts that since human judgment is not error free, it is also possible for one to mistake friends for foes and vice versa. Hence, the definition of justice given by Polemarchus is incorrect.
Polemarchus says that justice is about giving a person what is owed to him. Socrates responds by pondering whether this would be true in all situations. He says that to give, say, an insane man his weapons back, is asking for trouble and not just. Such a man is likely to harm himself and others, and the act of giving him what he is owed cannot be just. Thus, this definition too, is incorrect.
Thrasymachus, a mercenary Sophist, defines justice as whatever gives an advantage to the powerful. Socrates examines his hypothesis and asks whether it applies to various other professions as well. For example, does a Teacher teach for the benefit of his students, or for his own benefit? Whose benefit is paramount? Does a doctor serve a patient for his own benefit or to make the patient well? It becomes clear that a doctor who works for his own good, is not a just Doctor. Likewise, a ruler who works for his own position and benefit cannot be a just ruler.
Pretending to be just, is unjust!
Adeimantus and Glaucon who are also interested in discovering what justice is, play the devil's advocate and state that most people appear to be just while actually not being so. Justice is seen as a social contract that exists because people realize that while injustice when practiced by them, gives them a sense of power, injustices performed on them are wrong. Hence, choosing the lesser of the two evils, people take the side of justice to better suit their life. A little bit like, You don’t scratch my back; I won't scratch yours! This means that justice is not practiced for its own sake but as a compromise.
As an example, imagine a ring which can make you invisible. Would you still follow all the rules and act perfectly just, if you had the power to get away with being unjust?
Socrates examines the argument and rebuffs it by stating that a life which is lived with a pretension of being just is the most unjust life of all. He compares it to deception by stating that the character of people who live like this would not stand any test of time, since it is based on a lie. He states that justice is essential for the health of the human soul, and hence, it has an intrinsic value which makes it desirable for its own sake as well as for the sake of its consequences.
Socrates also states that the community in which a person lives, is enough to indicate whether he or she is just or not. Communities or cities ruled by unjust people or tyrants are places where a reputation of justice is enough rather than actual justice. Such places would have people who are unjust, despite seemingly not being so.
Justice is performing your duties. Education and a sense of belongingness is critical for a healthy and just society
Socrates states that taking care of one's own affairs by being a responsible citizen and carry out individual tasks is justice.
A city should have all sorts of people: workers, producers, warriors, doctors, etc. This is because not everyone can do everything which is required to be done. Everyone has a role to play for the betterment of the city as well as for themselves.
It is important to assign roles to people according to their abilities. For this, the city must have institutions which can impart awareness and education amongst the inhabitants on what roles they are suitable for. Education is vital for any society to be just.
Education is of two types: mental, and physical. Mental education like music, the arts, etc., are essential for nourishing the soul, which is essential to have a just society. Physical education on the other hand, strengthens the body, which makes it more able to defend the city if required.
If people are to feel protective of a city, they should feel a bond with the city in which they live in. This can be done by teaching the citizens that the city stands on the earth from which they all have come from. A commonality will help foster a bond between the citizens and the city.
It is clear that the city and the people in it share a mutually collaborative relationship. Hence, it is not possible to separate justice for an individual from justice for the city or society.
Socrates discusses the five types of government and claims aristocracy to be the best form of governance.
Is democracy the best form of government? Socrates certainly didn’t think so. He posited that there were five types of governments which could govern cities and societies. In order of preference they are:
Aristocracy
Timocracy
Oligarchy
Democracy
Tyranny
Socrates posits that cities and societies have life cycles and a city must pass through all these forms of government at some stage in its history.
Aristocracy, which comes from the Greek term aristokratia, means the rule of the best. The best according to Socrates is a philosopher-king.
Timocracy is characterized by rulers who focus on the accumulation of power and wealth by military means.
Oligarchy is a form of government wherein the rich are rulers. Due to growing dissatisfaction with the rule of the rich, a Democracy is ushered in, which enshrines freedom as its fundamental principle, but in essence, makes people mistake anarchy for freedom. Thus, it is an unorganized and chaotic society ruled by a mob, and the continuing chaos can result in a tyranny, which is nothing but an authoritarian rule. This is the worst form of government.
Only a philosopher-king can ensure a just and healthy society
Socrates considers only philosophers to be worthy of being rulers. He posits that a philosopher is a seeker of truth and wisdom and is not a slave to his passions. Thus, he can serve as the best ruler a city can have, keeping the city and its people's interest in mind at all times. A philosopher's quest for seeking the truth by acquiring knowledge will also serve as an example for the common people to strive for excellence in their own pursuits.
A philosopher-king can make rational decisions without necessarily being populist. Often, common people are unable to consider choices rationally, because they are influenced by a skewed perspective. Consider the allegory of the cave. People who are trapped in a cave can only see the shadows on the cave's walls rather than the reality that exists outside the cave. For them, the shadows are the reality. A Philosopher is a person who can become free of that cave, experience the reality outside it, and then come back to the cave to free them all.
There has to be rigorous testing for the philosopher-king. He is to be the best and the most highly-trained individual in all aspects.
Final Summary
The Republic, which was written by Plato, is one of his most masterful works. In this book, his writings revolve around a vast array of topics which are pertinent till today. It is generally accepted as one of Plato’s middle period works, where he has achieved a more significant grasp of his topics. The central theme of the ten books long, ‘The Republic,’ mostly centers around justice and its connection with happiness.
The right education is essential for citizens, to ensure the purpose of producing a populace, not lacking physically and mentally. But the importance of a single individual pales in comparison to the importance of a just city, ruled by a virtuous philosopher-king. For a truly just city, it is of the utmost importance that the ruler be a philosopher-king, who is the correct balance of all virtues and has undergone rigorous training. Others in the city also aid in maintaining justice. They do this by doing their jobs to the very best of their abilities.
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