PLATO'S REPUBLIC

Plato's Republic

Plato's Republic

Thesis Statement

Plato state that "Fair and just" city are diverse and in some cases strange.

Introduction

The Republic is known as Plato's greatest piece of work. It consists of a group of different arguments on a great variety of subjects. They are different issues and items that occur when organizing a government. Many of his ideas are extremely abstract, but make for an interesting story. In this paper we will analyze the Plato statement that "Fair and just" city are diverse and in some cases strange.

Analysis

The question at the center of the Republic is whether it is better to live justly or unjustly. In the story, Plato constructs a perfectly just and fair city. The city is in-depth and complex. This city is made up of guardians, auxiliaries, and the tradesman. As most cities, the lower of the three groups, or classes, is the majority of the population. The guardians lead the city, and are all fully educated philosophers. They symbolize wisdom and knowledge in the city. The auxiliaries are less educated than the guardians, but still quite educated Nettleship, R. (1951).

Plato's main argument against democracy is that too much freedom eventually leads to chaos and anarchy. The results of that chaotic situation are that no one will be interested in ruling and consequently doors will be opened for tyrants to take over. From the elite tyranny to mob rule, arguments presented by Plato had its roots in his personal experiences. In his era there were two main political parties in Athens, the Oligarchies and the democrats (Plato, 1998).

The oligarch represented alliance between the upper class people and the democrats & the leaders represented the lower class, which included the workers and the peasants. An oligarchy is a system where the few elite ruled the masses and a democrat was a system where the poor and the un-educated were the rulers (Nettleship, 1951). Plato argued in his masterpiece "the Republic" that each city or country has two parties that were practically at war with each other; the bloodiness of the war was different depending on the nature of the city. For example, while in Athens the war wasn't as bloody; in another Greek city of Corcyra the democrats almost massacred all of the oligarchs (Annas, 1997).

These people fight and stand for courage. The rest of the inhabitants accept a general education. The balance of the city is guaranteed by a cruel and complex system that guarantees that the best people will be selected for each of the positions. Everyone is meant for one, and they are always put in it (Nettleship, 1951). The city is in order because the guardians, the wisest, rule over the auxiliaries and the base population at large. The city is just because everyone is doing the job that best fits them, the guardians lead the government and such, the auxiliaries fight the battles, and the rest of the commoner work at their ...