book

Reaction Paper - The Republic by Plato

21 Pages 1285 Words 1557 Views

The Republic is a dialogue written by Plato in which he lays out the foundation for an ideal city that would hold as a model for societies to follow. Much like all of Plato’s dialogues this one begins with acquaintances that partake in a logical debate. The main speaker, Socrates, is invited to the home of Cephalus after a festival. Socrates loves to converse with older men because of their wisdom and after some time the conversations sways from the value of money to the topic of justice. Each individual present gives their own definition of justice: speaking the truth, helping friends, giving people what they are due, and paying one’s debts. Socrates whose main point is that our judgment is fallible easily counters all of these definitions. Thrasymachus, a sophist who wants to do away with justice defines it as the advantage of the stronger. His belief is that it does not pay to be just but rather brings harm. Socrates’ definition of justice is an adherence to certain rules that enable a group to act in common. Glaucon, another member of the conversation wants Socrates to also prove that justice is desired for its own sake and not for external rewards in this life and the after life. Socrates decides that the best way to go about this is by first finding justice at a political level in a city and then finding the analogous justice in a man. This is where Plato’s motive for writing the dialogue comes in and Socrates begins to build the perfect city from scratch. The foundational principle of human society according to Socrates is specialization, each person performing what they are best suited for. The perfect city has a demand for necessary positions first like craftsmen, farmers, and doctors who are deemed the producing class. There is eventually a want for a luxurious city, which demands for positions like merchant, actor, poet, and so on. These people are the first class in the city known as producers. The wealth amassed by producers will lead to the possibility of war so warriors are needed to maintain peace within and protect from outside. This becomes the second class of society known as auxiliaries. The auxiliaries are the

Read Full Essay