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Lecture 3 - Plato On Aristocracy and Democracy 24102024 103907am

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27 views16 pages

Lecture 3 - Plato On Aristocracy and Democracy 24102024 103907am

Uploaded by

Shahzaman Narai
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Plato’s Republic

Plato on Aristocracy and Democracy


The Republic
• The Republic (Politea) is a dialogue written by the Greek philosopher
Plato around 375 BCE.

• In the Republic, Socrates presents a vision of a just city in a dialogue


with Plato’s brothers Glaucon and Adeimantus.

• This city is referred to as a kallipolis, which means “beautiful city”.


Aristocracy
• The form of government in the kallipolic is an aristocracy, which is the
rule of those who are skilled in the art of governing.

• The just society will be ruled by philosopher-kings who understand


what the common good is and know what laws are needed to
promote it.
The Rule of the Philosopher-Kings
• Why would the rule of the philosopher-kings be just?

• Plato argues that philosophers are most suited to govern because they don’t want to govern
• They are not driven by personal ambition or the lust for power.
• This is why they are least likely to be corrupted by power.
• Philosopher-kings take on the task of governance because they realize that they have a duty to guide their fellow
citizens.

• Moreover, philosophers have the knowledge of Forms.


• Only philosophers understand what justice truly is and so only they are capable of creating and sustaining a just
society.
• Socrates uses the Allegory of the Cave to represent the education of philosophers from the world of shadows
(appearances) to the reality (the Forms themselves).

• Socrates argues that knowledge is virtue.


• Philosophers will not be corrupted by power because they have knowledge of the Form of the Good.
• Those who perform vicious actions do so because they are ignorant. They mistakenly believe that doing evil things will
benefit them in some way.
The Deviant Forms of Government
• Assuming that the just city could come into being, Socrates indicates that it would
eventually change since everything which comes into being must decay (546a-b).

• The rulers are bound to make mistakes in assigning people jobs suited to their
natural capacities and each of the classes will begin to be mixed with people who
are not naturally suited for the tasks relevant to each class (546e).

• He then describes four types of unjust regimes that deviate from aristocracy,
which is the just form of government.
The Deviant Forms of Government
• Timocracy
• The first deviant regime from just kingship or aristocracy will be timocracy, that emphasizes
the pursuit of honor rather than wisdom and justice (547d ff.).
• The timocratic individual will have a strong spirited part in his soul and will pursue honor,
power, and success (549a).
• This city will be militaristic.

• Oligarchy
• Oligarchy arises out of timocracy and it emphasizes wealth rather than honor (550c-e).
• In this city people will pursue wealth; it will essentially be two cities, a city of wealthy citizens
and a city of poor people
• The few wealthy will fear the many poor; people will do various jobs simultaneously; the city
will allow for poor people without means; it will have a high crime rate.
The Deviant Forms of Government
• Democracy
• It comes about when the rich become too rich and the poor too poor (555c-d).
• Too much luxury makes the oligarchs soft and the poor revolt against them (556c-e).
• The primary goal of the democratic regime is freedom or license (557b-c).
• People will come to hold offices without having the necessary knowledge (557e) and
everyone is treated as an equal in ability (equals and unequals alike, 558c).
• The democratic individual comes to pursue all sorts of bodily desires excessively (558d-559d)
and allows his appetitive part to rule his soul.
The Deviant Forms of Government
• Tyranny
• Tyranny arises out of democracy
• The tyrant comes about by presenting himself as a champion of the people against the class
of the few people who are wealthy (565d-566a).
• The tyrant is forced to commit a number of acts to gain and retain power: accuse people
falsely, attack his kinsmen, bring people to trial under false pretenses, kill many people, exile
many people, and purport to cancel the debts of the poor to gain their support (565e-566a).
• The tyrant eliminates the rich, brave, and wise people in the city since he perceives them as
threats to his power (567c). Socrates indicates that the tyrant faces the dilemma to either
live with worthless people or with good people who may eventually depose him and chooses
to live with worthless people (567d).
Socrates on Democracy
• Socrates argues that in a democracy people are treated as equals, when in fact
most people do not have the natural ability to govern with wisdom.

• In a democracy, the criterion for occupying public office is popularity rather than
knowledge and virtue
• Socrates compares governance to piloting a ship and he argues that just as a skilled
navigator should be in charge of a ship, a knowledgeable and wise person should be in
charge of governing the state.

• Those who are skilled at the art of rhetoric are able to manipulate the public’s
sentiments.
• Such demagogues gain power through their fine speeches but lack the skill to govern.
Socrates on Democracy
• In Plato’s dialogue Gorgias, Socrates uses the following analogy:
• “If a doctor and pastry chef had to compete in front of children, or men just
as foolish as children, over which one understands about wholesome and
harmful foods, the doctor or the pastry chef, the doctor would die of hunger.”
(464d5-e2)
Some Questions
• Is there such as thing as immutable Forms? Or are concepts like
justice socially constructed?

• Will a philosopher-king have absolute knowledge of what a just


society should be like? Or will his opinions be a product of his cultural
and historical context?

• Will philosophers all agree about what is just?


Some Questions
• Can philosopher-kings be corrupted by absolute power?

• Is knowledge virtue? Or can someone who knows what is good still do


something wrong because of what Aristotle called akrasia i.e.
weakness of will?
Some Questions
• Will philosopher-kings rule in the interests of the masses or will they
only promote the interests of the ruling class of guardians?

• Should there be any checks and balances on the power of those who
rule?

• Should those who govern be accountable to the governed?

• Should the rulers of a city systematically deceive the masses?


Some Questions
• Do most people lack the natural ability to understand and critically
engage with the question of justice?

• Can we create a society of philosopher-citizens?

• What is the significance of the education system for a democracy?


Some Questions
• Should art and poetry be censored?

• What are the advantages of the freedom of creative expression?

• Will a society which severely restricts your freedom be a utopia or a


dystopia?

• Can freedom, equality and prosperity co-exist? Or does freedom have


to be compromised to fulfill the basic needs of a society?
References
• The Republic of Plato (Translated by Allan Bloom)

• “Plato: The Republic” in The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy


• https://iep.utm.edu/republic/

• “Plato’s Ethics and Politics in The Republic” in Stanford Encyclopedia


of Philosophy
• https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-ethics-politics/

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