Plato's Republic

In a society where the citizens consisted of the rulers and the ruled, in Plato’s Republic, he attempts to give an explanation on why philosophers would be superior rulers in comparison to the everyday citizen. Within the dialogue of Socrates and his acquaintance, one can easily observe the views of those who ultimately believe philosophers would be divine rulers of the city. Within the discourse, Socrates suggests they will know what is best for the society as a whole for reason that their education will supplant those of the commoners. Substantive emphasis is placed on education of the individual who should have the potential to be guardians because only through education, it is believed, one can acquire the skills and knowledge to be able …show more content…
Beginning with musical and physical training, followed by arts; these components of education will aid in improving one’s abilities and provide more knowledge on culture. The elenchus is ultimately not sufficient enough; the elenchus is essentially the asking of questions and engaging in dialogue with another individual. Additionally, it breaks down, a person's perspective and gets them to question themselves. A fundamental role of education is to determine the abilities of a citizen and the jobs they are unable or able to perform. Though the ultimate goal of education in Plato’s definition is to improve one’s character and spawn personal growth. Therefore education is necessary to construct a good society; this can be described as Paideia. In essence, this meant education involving the mental and personal development alongside learning about arts, is a crucial component in the …show more content…
Through this journey outside the cave explains how one flourishes spiritually and mentally. In Plato’s perspective, this allegory explains how one is educated if one is able to turn around from the reflections in the cave and find the light displays that they would be more educated. In the cave, the shadows and sounds are perceived as real, though it is created by the fire and others holding objects in order to create a certain image. This aids one to understand that in order for an individual to turn around and begin their journey, they must have obtained a certain level of education. In addition, considering that not many people would attempt the journey out of the cave, so the ones that do will fully recognize and distinguish between reality and false