Plato, being the pivot figure in the history of Western thought, established the compound, yet complete and multifaceted philosophical system, which methodology and perspicacious semantic substance laid the foundation for the future human development hundreds of years to come, igniting curiosity in the minds of numerous scholars throughout history. Essential political ideas of Plato are predominantly expressed in his groundbreaking work “The Republic,” including the fundamental theoretical discussion of an ideal state that I am willing to analyze in this essay.
Plato’s idyllic Polis, resembling the human soul that incorporates the trinity of appetite, spirit, and reason, is composed of three types of inhabitants that correspond to each constituent …show more content…
The body of this utopian state becomes prosperous only when all its citizens coexist in congruity and prove to be efficacious in achieving their aims within a hierarchical societal framework. According to Plato, neither man is able to lead a meaningful life outside of the state, as only by existing in association with other individuals one acquires significance. Moreover, each person is destined to be given a defined function which he or she should perform for the community to strive, ensuring that justice, as seen by the philosopher, is attained. Even though social mobility within the bounds of his state is limited, exceptions are possible if one demonstrates an extraordinary potential for intellectual or physical development or, on the contrary, inability to retain the higher status. Professional class of the constructed society is accountable for the well-being of all residents, conducting provision of resources and goods; courageous military class guarantees safety and security, while rulers realize welfare and …show more content…
To begin with, an idea of the dissolution of the family institute in two highest classes, aimed at the creation of strong and emotionally stable citizens with no ties to relatives, may, in fact, have a reversed effect. Instead of releasing warriors and leaders from detrimental binding to sentimental nature of marital and parent-child relations, it may cause emotional vacuum due to lack of genuine family support and inner loneliness that one could not overcome with permitted relationships presented within the state. What is more, policies of “sacred marriage” for one night and eugenics exercised artificially by mendacious means between selected members could be in essence perceived as unethical not in modern-day society, which values individualistic choices, but could have been also considered barbarian in former times based on historical occurrences that prove a notion that, in this case, means do not necessarily justify the end. Equally important, the censorship of art and literature would not purify the reason of youth, but instead create a motivation for undisclosed movements of illicit aesthetic expression, which could be possibly attributed to a totalitarian, rather than perfectly nonpareil, state. Lastly, the idea of an intense educational system appears contradictory to the conception of non-involvement of unenlightened masses in political control.
Plato’s idyllic Polis, resembling the human soul that incorporates the trinity of appetite, spirit, and reason, is composed of three types of inhabitants that correspond to each constituent …show more content…
The body of this utopian state becomes prosperous only when all its citizens coexist in congruity and prove to be efficacious in achieving their aims within a hierarchical societal framework. According to Plato, neither man is able to lead a meaningful life outside of the state, as only by existing in association with other individuals one acquires significance. Moreover, each person is destined to be given a defined function which he or she should perform for the community to strive, ensuring that justice, as seen by the philosopher, is attained. Even though social mobility within the bounds of his state is limited, exceptions are possible if one demonstrates an extraordinary potential for intellectual or physical development or, on the contrary, inability to retain the higher status. Professional class of the constructed society is accountable for the well-being of all residents, conducting provision of resources and goods; courageous military class guarantees safety and security, while rulers realize welfare and …show more content…
To begin with, an idea of the dissolution of the family institute in two highest classes, aimed at the creation of strong and emotionally stable citizens with no ties to relatives, may, in fact, have a reversed effect. Instead of releasing warriors and leaders from detrimental binding to sentimental nature of marital and parent-child relations, it may cause emotional vacuum due to lack of genuine family support and inner loneliness that one could not overcome with permitted relationships presented within the state. What is more, policies of “sacred marriage” for one night and eugenics exercised artificially by mendacious means between selected members could be in essence perceived as unethical not in modern-day society, which values individualistic choices, but could have been also considered barbarian in former times based on historical occurrences that prove a notion that, in this case, means do not necessarily justify the end. Equally important, the censorship of art and literature would not purify the reason of youth, but instead create a motivation for undisclosed movements of illicit aesthetic expression, which could be possibly attributed to a totalitarian, rather than perfectly nonpareil, state. Lastly, the idea of an intense educational system appears contradictory to the conception of non-involvement of unenlightened masses in political control.