Plato is an ancient Greek philosopher and is known as one of the founding fathers of Western Philosophy. He wrote, The Republic, one of his best-known and influential works in 381 BC. In the books dialogue, Plato discusses the concepts of justice, the just man, and the just society. This ideal city is based on education, specialization, and social structures that define family, behavior, and loyalty to the city. The just city is a larger version of the just man, with three social classes: producers, warriors and guardians working together as the three parts of the soul, who work together in the just man. Two key concepts for the city are emphasis on specialization, so that each person is trained in a specific occupation. The other being emphasis
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According to Socrates, when the ideal state is not manifest into the country other, defective forms of government will prevail. This is how an aristocracy deteriorates into a timocracy. A timocracy is defined as “a form of government in which possession of property is required to hold office”. This characterizes why timocratical people are more materialistic. The governors of timocracy value power, which they attain primarily by means of military conquest and the acquisition of honors, rather than intellectual means like the previous regime. Since timocracy is a mixture of an aristocracy and oligopoly, Socrates says of a timocrat ruler, “…inclining rather to the more high-spirited and simple-minded type, who are better suited for war-" (Republic 547e). The main difference of a timocracy from aristocracy is their favor of education on athletics and education rather than wisdom and poetry. Next, in the dialogue they go on to discuss the type of person who would rule a democratic government. Since a timocrat man is not as well educated as an aristocratic man he would be harsh to his slaves but respectful to his equals, a hunting enthusiast and would love athletics. He will not be obsessed with money in his youth but he would come to like it when he grew older. However, since this man would not have been properly trained in both music and argumentation, he wouldn't be as devoted to virtue as he should be. Even though Socrates favors aristocracy, a timocracy is not as bad as the governments to
According to Socrates, when the ideal state is not manifest into the country other, defective forms of government will prevail. This is how an aristocracy deteriorates into a timocracy. A timocracy is defined as “a form of government in which possession of property is required to hold office”. This characterizes why timocratical people are more materialistic. The governors of timocracy value power, which they attain primarily by means of military conquest and the acquisition of honors, rather than intellectual means like the previous regime. Since timocracy is a mixture of an aristocracy and oligopoly, Socrates says of a timocrat ruler, “…inclining rather to the more high-spirited and simple-minded type, who are better suited for war-" (Republic 547e). The main difference of a timocracy from aristocracy is their favor of education on athletics and education rather than wisdom and poetry. Next, in the dialogue they go on to discuss the type of person who would rule a democratic government. Since a timocrat man is not as well educated as an aristocratic man he would be harsh to his slaves but respectful to his equals, a hunting enthusiast and would love athletics. He will not be obsessed with money in his youth but he would come to like it when he grew older. However, since this man would not have been properly trained in both music and argumentation, he wouldn't be as devoted to virtue as he should be. Even though Socrates favors aristocracy, a timocracy is not as bad as the governments to