Plato Journals

Part IV: Guardians and Auxiliaries Section 1: The Three Classes and Their Mutual Relations Summary: ! In this section, Plato establishes the three classes of his ideal state; these are the Rulers, Auxiliaries, and Commoners. The population is divided by merit into these classes through a meritocracy. They are tested at a young age and, based on what is in their nature, are placed within a class. The qualities of class are not inherited rather, each person - regardless of which class they are born in - has either gold, silver, or bronze in his soul, rendering him a subject of a certain class. This is at least what Plato would like the people to believe (as an analogy for the gifts that exist within people) so that they may together create this ideal state. The Rulers must have a deep affection for the community and must devote to it their lives and best interests. In addition, an intelligence of philosophy is needed to lead, as it provides one with the skills to recognize the needs of people. The Auxiliaries would assist the Rulers in the execution of their decisions (like military, police, watchdogs). Commoners would provide for state. Reection: ! Platos three class functioning society seems efcient however, does forming the ideal state justify the manipulative means of production? An issue of ethics is introduced when Plato says: I shall try to persuade rst the Rulers and Soldiers [. . .] that the upbringing we have given them was all something that happened in a dream. Essentially, he wishes to brainwash the most inuential of the community rst, and then allow for the others to naturally assimilate. To do this, he will forge and then market a story about the value of the metal within each of us. He knows that this new society will rufe a few feathers so he plans to push it onto the second and later generations. This, I must admit is brilliant. It is the sort of tactic used today in Communist environments and also to solve prominent issues such as bullying. ! Who will make the decisions regarding class placement? If Plato is assuming that the philosophers will make those decisions, then that essentially appoints them as
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Gods of the state. This superior class has yet to be explicitly explained in Platos Republic. ! ! Plato assumes only few citizens will have the nature of a Guardian while most Platos state resembles a Spartan culture as they evaluate the childrens will have that of a commoner. strengths so as to decide what to do with him. Of course in Spartan culture, the children were either physically strong, or killed. ! ! Unseen in society today, there is a mobility of the classes in Platos state. He states that, if one of their (Guardians) own children has traces of bronze or iron in its make-up, they must harden their hearts [. . .] degrade it to the ranks of the industrial class. ! Certainly this metal system will create an uproar as it will offend many people. If people are told that they have bronze and therefore, are of less worth (as bronze is) than a person who has gold (gold = valuable) then they are denitely going to be angered and/or disheartened/discouraged (morale would fall). ! Clearly Plato holds the community higher than the individual but which is actually more important?! Section 2: The Rulers and Auxiliaries Way of Life Summary: ! Rulers and Auxiliaries are to live a life of austere simplicity without private property or family life. The happiness of both will lie in their service to the community; for it is the happiness of the community as a whole, and not of any particular class, that is the objective. Keep great luxuries such as gold away from the Guardians so it does not pollute their heavenly gold with wickedness. Plato says, dont make us give our Guardians the kind of happiness that will make them anything but Guardians. He also argues that they should neither give the potters, the farmers, or whoever else, the kind of happiness that would cause them to stop being who they were. Rather, we can leave each class to enjoy the share of happiness its nature permits. Reection:
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Keeping each citizens roles as pristine as possible is critical in Platos society

and somewhat in any society (especially leaders). I am not sure how realistic it is, but if infatuating luxuries were kept from the citizens, each would perform his/her job properly - with little risk of corruption. However, issues correlating with a planned economy come into play in Platos state. There would be an issue of the workers and leaders not being motivated because no extra satisfaction (reward) would result from their extra blood and sweat. People would get tired of working for the greater good and would want to feel personal reward; just as taxpayers complain today about who their money is helping. In addition, there would be a lack of innovation and creativity in a state where people are xed into their roles. This would result in massive setbacks in technology and any other form of progression. ! ! It only makes sense for the philosophers, specically Plato and Socrates, to be the Rulers in this state. They assume that the Rulers ambition will lie in the general welfare of the state however, it is unlikely that the Rulers will be so equally noble over time (the Rulers 50 years from then would not be as noble as the philosophers are at that moment). Therefore, it only makes sense that the devisers of the plan - who are the most dedicated to it - should rule the state. Section 3: Final Provisions for Unity Summary: ! Guardians must at all costs prevent wealth and poverty from slipping unobserved into the state. Wealth produces luxury and idleness and a desire for novelty, while poverty produces meanness, bad workmanship, and the desire for revolution. To prevent these features from infesting the state, a standard will be made for determining the size of the state, the amount of territory it needs and beyond which it should not expand. The state should be allowed to grow so long as growth is compatible with unity, but no further. ! Everything in Platos state depends on education. With the advantage of good education, the state would produce citizens of good character. Then, they will be able to easily see to all the things the Rulers have asked them to. The education would produce children better than themselves and better able to produce still better children in the
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future (seen in animals). Good men need no orders. They will nd out easily enough what legislation is in general necessary. ! The trained soldiers of Platos state will be a match for two or three times their number because, rich men are likely to have more knowledge of boxing than of war. In addition, Platos state would - in the event of war - acquire allies by offering them all the enemys riches for Platos state has no use for gold and silver. ! Reection: ! Plato criticizes other states saying that you are lucky to be able to think of any community as worth the name of state which differs from the one we are building. Plato decides to call these a collection of states as they contain two states, the rich and the poor. However, is Platos state not a rifted one as well? There are Rulers who twist the minds of the masses so that they can rule correctly. A few elite make the decisions while the rest simply perform their allocated labour. That seems like a rift to me. Im sure Plato would not be thrilled to ride in the backseat of a state ran by totalitarians. A democracy would be more united; at least the poor and the wealthy can vote. ! The entire idea of Platos state seems selsh. He is making the perfect state for a small amount of people. What is the point? This state will have not real impact in the world because it is poor in resources and weak in numbers (military - they require help from other collection of states). It seems that Plato is simply focusing on his people. He doesnt care if other states take the gold and silver, so long as his state is unspoiled. What is the point of making a state perfect for some people yet have no inuence on the world? This is almost contradictory to his entire philosophy; that being that it is the entire welfare of the people that is most important. Plato is thinking too small-scale, unless he believes that by example, more and more countries will alter there ways until the whole world follows his model. However, in that case, the world would be considered as a collection of states because each altered country would be considered its own state, and the whole world could not be one state because of the size issue depicted in this section. This collection of states is exactly what Plato was criticizing.

Part V: Justice in The State and Individual Section 1: Justice in the State Summary: ! The State that the philosophers have founded must possess the four cardinal virtues of wisdom, courage, discipline, and justice. Wisdom to lead, courage to ght against what will wash out the spirit of the states laws, discipline to control the bad by the good, and justice to keep what is properly ones own and doing ones own job. Discipline stretches across the whole scale. ! The exchange of jobs and prestige among people will cause disruption in the state. The worst of evils is the interchange of jobs between the three classes and the interference by the three classes with each others jobs. This does the greatest damage to the state. Reection: ! It is smart to create a model for which the citizens to live by. However, this system is beginning to sound more and more like communism. Especially the extreme dependance on everyone doing their respective job properly. It seems that the state can afford little to no error. If some commoners - responsible for tomatoes - mess up the tomato crop, then no one in the state will have tomatoes. *No punishment or motivation to do the job right next time if they dont care whether people get tomatoes.* A sign of weakness in the state. ! If the state is a body - an interesting analogy/connection: the Rulers exemplify wisdom and therefore represent the brain, the Auxiliaries demonstrate courage and therefore represent the heart, and the Commoners act as the rest of the body. The Rulers tell the Commoners (body) what to do, without the Auxiliaries (heart) these demands would not be seen through (as without a heart, the brain could not correlate and function with the body), and the Commoners (body) do what is said to be done. Section 2: The Elements in Mental Conict Summary: ! Three elements of Individual: reason, appetite, and spirit. Reason includes not only the ability to understand and to think before we act, but also the ability to make up
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ones mind. Appetite includes the purely instinctive desires in their simplest form. Spirit is harder to explain. Reection: ! ! I still do not completely grasp the meaning of spirit in Platos context. There is a parallel between the state and the individual. Rulers coincide with

reason, Auxiliaries with spirit, and Commoners with Appetite. The Rulers are to make the best decisions and therefore require reason as well as their wisdom. The Auxiliaries are courageous in virtue of their spirit. The Commoner class is the only class subject to appetite. Auxiliaries and Rulers are to be strong and refrain from desires and luxuries. The entire state is a web of interconnected morales, models, and people. Almost like the I.B. learner prole however, the citizens of Platos state dont really have a choice regarding which virtues t them best. ! This all seems nice on paper but the real test would be to put it into practice. As Plato mentioned earlier, it would take multiple generations to allow this to settle in. It denitely would take time for people in each class to demonstrate their respective class role - and strictly that class role. As well for all the other aspects of the state, the people would need to adjust through time. Section 3: Justice in the Individual Summary: ! Individual is just/disciplined when spirit and appetite are in proper subordination to reason. If appetite is not controlled, it will grow and begin to control the other elements and ruin them. Justices concern is not with external action but with a mans inward self, his true concern and interest. The just man will not allow the three elements which make up his inward self to trespass on each others function or interfere with each other but, by keeping all three in tune, like the notes of a scale (high middle, low), he will live on good terms with himself. Reection:

Plato says that a just man will not allow the three elements which make up his

inward self (reason, spirit, appetite) to trespass on each others function. This can also be seen in the state when Plato says that the three classes (Rulers, Auxiliaries, Commoners) should not interfere with each others jobs. Appetite, or the Commoners, should not interfere with spirit, or the Auxiliaries. Spirit, or the Auxiliaries, should not interfere with reason, or the Rulers (each should not interfere with each). ! It is interesting how the state depends on people literally minding their own business. Part VI: Women and the Family Section 1: The Status of Women Summary: ! The only difference between men and women is one of physical function. This is not a proper basis for differentiation of occupation and social function. Men and women should both follow same range of occupations, perform the same functions, and receive the same education to enable them to do so. Women should be treated the same way as men. In this way, society will get the best value from all people. Reection: ! In this section, Plato deals with more Ethical issues. Should the women be valued and treated equally as men? Again, I am impressed how far ahead of their time the philosophers are (they are ne with female leaders). They are very wise in thinking that in preparing women and men in the same way, they would be achieving the best value for society. It is like they would be using all of their capital to their full potential. However, in numerous points in the section, Plato mentions that women are the weaker partners or the weaker sex and as a result should be given a lighter share of duties than men. It is interesting how the philosophers begin in broad terms, agreeing that men and women should be alike, but then move on to make them unalike. Women are strong, and have incredible stamina. During pregnancy, for nine months they carry a ten pound brick in their stomach only to nally - and painfully - squeeze it out of a small opening. This is all without mention of the heartaches that must be dealt with during and
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after the nine months. I believe women should be entitled to anything that men are entitled to; we or the state should not be the ones to hold them back. Let their own capabilities restrict them from certain activities/jobs (the same goes for men). ! This odd statement was made by Plato at the end of this section: what benets us is fair, what harms us shameful. I thought this to have a sense of corruption in it, and in effect the state as a whole. This statement illustrates what I mentioned earlier in another section about the states issue of selshness. I actually found that quote appalling. Section 2: Marriage and the Family Summary: ! The current family system should be abolished but the sex instinct satised and controlled. The system used for breeding domestic animals is used for the citizens. Rulers decide which couples mate (yet the citizens are not aware) and the children are looked after in state nurseries. Like in Spartan rule, offspring with defects will be rid of. No individual knows who their true father, mother, or siblings are (Guardians become one family). Reection: ! The notion of breeding ones citizens as one does domestic animals forms this image of a mad scientist experimenting with humans at his own will. Firstly, this will not work because people are naturally lustful. Someone in their reproductive prime cannot be told who they have sex with, or even forced not to have sex. Like in 1984 or West Side Story, people will secretly love who they wish, and get around the pressures forcing them to live their life a certain way. This brings me to my other point that people naturally want to live their own life in the way they wish to, as oppose to living out someone elses (the states) plan for them. ! Plato wants to divert the concentrated family love toward the love of the whole state. This cannot be achieved because everyone will not know everyone else well and therefore, even though they may fake their affection for them, they will not truly care at all. In addition, if the concentrated love is spread out over the whole state, then there is
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not much love at all being allocated to each person - in effect, Platos ideal will cause individuals to not love anyone very much. Not only that, but Plato cannot force people to truly share pleasures and pains with other people (again like a body - mentioned before). ! There is no method of deciphering who is related to whom, and therefore, incest cannot be prevented. However, I suppose this is not much of a problem as the state will simply rid of any defective children as if they are of no use and no meaning to this world. Helen Keller was a positively inuential member of society although she was both deaf and blind. ! Plato said that people with gold inside them could come from those with bronze. Those with gold can also produce those with a lesser metal. If the inferior never get to reproduce because they are not the superior, then their potential gold or silver children will never see the world. Also Plato would have wasted his breath in devising the mobility of classes because it would never truly be practiced in his state. Barrack Obama came from an inferior broken family. ! Plato maybe tries to avoid his basic dislike of killing by using the analogy of breeding animals throughout the passage. He attempts to stray away from the emotional aspect (which is impossible to do) and instead focus on the knowledge and rationale aspect. Section 3: The Rules of War Summary: ! They will bring children to battles so that they will learn the art, and so as to encourage those ghting. They will not attempt to rescue prisoners. Those distinguished soldiers will receive kisses to honor their bravery. They will have a never empty cup and the rst cut of the joint - this will improve their physique. Greek vs. Barbarians: they are at war and natural enemies. Greek vs. Greek: they are in a civil strife, naturally friends, and they ght in the hope of coming to terms. Regardless of who they are ghting, when they ght barbarians they should treat them as the Greeks now treat each other (neither to ravage land nor burn houses).

Reection: ! Plato deals with the idea of the self in this section. He gives the name barbarians to non-greeks that they ght against in war. This connotes that they are uncivilized, uncultured, and do not have the potential to be allies with the now prestigious Greeks. Plato proposes an opposition - which they need - to reinforce their identity. He depicts the state as superior to all other civilizations. Plato thinks it ne to simply go to war with other parties, and only negotiate terms with Greek opponents. This is such a close-minded outlook. ! The kisses that will be awarded to the courageous soldier are said by Plato to be for distinct honor. However, I believe it is simply an attempt at encouraging/sparking more camaraderie/love (which, as I mentioned before, would be lacking) amongst the citizens.

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