Comparing Plato And Socrates In Plato's The Republic

Republic, a dialogue written by Plato in the fourth century B.C.E. to propose a series of ideas and theories that he and his master, Socrates, shared. This dialogue was eventually divided into ten individual sections that built off of each other. For example, book one of Republic inquires the question of what is justice, and book two comes back with the question what is more important, justice with the individual and the state. Each part of the dialogue has its own theme and questions; but what are the most important questions? Socrates and Plato love to ask questions and are constantly doing this within the dialogue and in book five Glaucon, Socrates model student, asks three crucial and controversial questions that, at the time, were nearly sacrilege. The first of these was women and the equality that they have to men. The second was the theory of family and education as a youth. The third question is where he …show more content…
Socrates wanted to change the way that the government thought. “Socrates suggests that the guardians be controlled through an education designed to make them like "noble puppies" that are fierce with enemies and gentle with familiars.” (Dillon). Socrates wanted the kings to become philosophers, or philosophers to become kings. “Until philosophers are kings, or the kings and princes of this world have the spirit and power of philosophy, and political greatness and wisdom meet in one, and those commoner natures who pursue either to the exclusion of the other are compelled to stand aside...” (Pg. 327). Socrates idea of the “Philosopher King” was a monumental notion that was his standard for his ideal state. “Philosopher king, idea according to which the best form of government is that in which philosophers rule.” (Lane). This was the biggest part of Socrates idea in the ideal