Compare And Contrast Plato And Orwell

Philosophy can be defined as the highest level of clarity and understanding human thought can aspire to. In some ways, Plato’s Republic can be compared to George Orwell’s book 1984. It may seem strange to compare the two, however they are quite similar. Plato writes from the Western philosophy, while Orwell tells of a totalitarian society where all free thought is banned. However, the two versions of government, one being a utopian government, and the other being horrific, contain certain connections that will be made clear over the course of this paper.
Both writers focus on a society where repression is one of the main functions of government. Plato views this in a positive way while Orwell views this in a negative way. Plato and Orwell both create a society where government is only held by a few people who are “superior”, and a place where truth is not encouraged at all, but instead is feared because of the danger it will bring. The greater good Plato attempts to set out through this society has a higher philosophical understanding through the human mind. On the other hand, the repression described in Orwell’s society tells of protecting the security of the nation against others.
The second book of the Republic shows the repressive quality of Plato’s society. Plato, talking through Socrates, wants

Even though it is strange to compare these two books, they have much more in common than one might see at a first glance. Both writers, Plato and Orwell, focus on repression, ranking and lies. The whole purpose of The Republic is truth, or the “Noble Lie” as he calls it. Where in 1984 the entire story line is based off of lies told by the government. What would happen if they were to escape these said to be awful societies? The people would not have any idea of what to do since everything said to them is a lie. Nobody knows what is the truth and what is a lie in either of these strangely similar