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The problem of justice in platos republic quora
The problem of justice in platos republic quora
The problem of justice in platos republic quora
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Imagine being one of the greatest Greek poets in the history of literature. Plato is one of the world’s most widely read and studied philosophers. Plato was born in Athens and traveled about while writing literature. Given an amazing education growing up, Plato soon became very well known all around the world for his works. Plato was influenced by Greek culture because of Socrates, the Justice System at the time and, “The Good Life” philosophy. The first reason how Plato was influenced by Greek culture was through Socrates. For example, Socrates provided philosophy for Plato. Socrates was Plato’s teacher. He taught everything to Plato from “The Good Life” philosophy to almost everything Plato knew about literature and poetry. Socrates also …show more content…
The justice system in Athens when Plato was alive was very important to everyone who lived there, especially Plato. For example Plato wrote one of his most famous books “The Republic” about it. As in some of his other books, the main character is Socrates and “The Republic” tells about how Socrates develops his position on justice in relation to happiness. Another example is how much Plato disliked the justice system of his time. Plato felt that the justice system was ruined and that had an effect on Athens. He expressed some of his concern with the justice system through writing “The Republic” and through his philosophy on the justice system. Another example was Plato’s philosophy on the justice system. Plato believed that justice was is a quality of the soul. His philosophy for justice meant that man would set aside the irrational desire of pleasure to get a selfish satisfaction out of something. He went on to say how this philosophy effected the justice system and how it worked. The justice system at the time influenced Plato because it created many philosophies and inspired some of his best books.The final reason is “The Good Life” philosophy. This philosophy by Plato provided that the unexamined life is not worth living. For example, how Socrates lived his life. Many say that Socrates was the philosophical definition of the good life. Socrates believed that no one should live their life in a pattern. From that way Socrates lived, Plato was inspired to create “The Good Life” philosophy. Another example is how this philosophy viewed happiness. In this philosophy, Plato states that there is not a single correct idea of happiness. This means that there is no right or wrong way to be happy. Another example is the view of freedom in this philosophy. Plato’s philosophy states that freedom outside of a well ordered community is lawlessness. This means that
Plato was a dominant moral philosopher in the ancient world. In Plato’s time, Athens had been rocked by the Peloponnesian War and political chaos after its defeat by Sparta (Bagnall, 2006, pp. 29-38). Perchance these events influenced Plato to search for answers that would bring harmony and clarity. It is important to note that Plato’s idea of justice is more in line with the New Testament’s interpretation of justice. The Greek word “dikaiosune” or righteousness, is what the bible translates to mean justice. Plato’s belief was that the root of justice or moral conduct, relied heavily on another worldly belief. “That process is the recollection of the things
The Ancient Greeks were nothing if not influential. Ever since it 's formation in the 8th century B.C., Greek civilization has impacted many of the world 's greatest thinkers and shaped the landscape of Western Civilization. Aside from their art and philosophy, the Ancient Greeks were particularly interested in politics and, in the case of Athens, a new system of government known as: democracy! Long before the American founding fathers declared their independence from Britain, Athenian citizens governed their own state and voted to solve political turmoil. However, ancient Athens was no perfect twin to American democracy, and being an upstanding Athenian citizen meant more than simply voting and going about one 's business. A standout Athenian
What pre-Socratic influences can you identify in Plato? Be specific: e.g., “Plato, like Paramenides, believes that…”)
It is always important to look to the past in order to move towards the future. This was done in the formation of Western Society, and more specifically the formation of American society. The Greek culture served as a frame of reference for many aspects of Western life including government, architecture, math and the arts. Ancient Greek culture served as a very broad base for our society to be built upon.
During the time period of The Republic, the problems and challenges that each community was faced with were all dealt with in a different way. In the world today, a lot of people care about themselves. For many people, the word justice can mean many different things, but because some only look out for themselves, many of these people do not think about everyone else’s role in the world of society. The struggle for justice is still demonstrated in contemporary culture today. One particular concept from Plato’s The Republic, which relates to contemporary culture is this concept of justice. In the beginning of The Republic, Socrates listeners, Cephalus, Polemarchus, and Thrasymachus, ask Socrates whether justice is stronger than injustice, and
In the Republic written by Socrates, Socrates attempts to prove that human beings ought to practice justice in order to live a more just life. Socrates moves through several examples in order to prove that the just life is one worth living and is the one that ought to be practiced. Through Socrates’s compelling argument in the book titled Plato’s Republic , one can see that the just life is the proper human life.
Imagine the time just after the death of Socrates. The people of Athens were filled with questions about the final judgment of this well-known, long-time citizen of Athens. Socrates was accused at the end of his life of impiety and corruption of youth. Rumors, prejudices, and questions flew about the town. Plato experienced this situation when Socrates, his teacher and friend, accepted the ruling of death from an Athenian court. In The Last Days of Socrates, Plato uses Socrates’ own voice to explain the reasons that Socrates, though innocent in Plato’s view, was convicted and why Socrates did not escape his punishment as offered by the court. The writings, “Euthyphro,” “The Apology,” “Crito,” and “Pheado” not only helped the general population of Athens and the friends and followers of Socrates understand his death, but also showed Socrates in the best possible light. They are connected by their common theme of a memoriam to Socrates and the discussion of virtues. By studying these texts, researchers can see into the culture of Athens, but most important are the discussions about relationships in the book. The relationships between the religion and state and individual and society have impacted the past and are still concerns that are with us today.
Plato started his teachings in remembrance of his good friend, Socrates. After his death he traveled back to Italy and studied under Pythagoras. Some years later he began "The Academy". Much of the curriculum taught was dedicated to the teachings of Socrates. During this time he began to write down his thoughts about politics and development of a regime. Developing different aspects than Socrates'.
Plato, whose real name was Aristocles, was believed to have been born the year 427 BCE in Athens, Greece. He was born into a wealthy, Athenian aristocratic family, who actually came to rule Athens in 404 BCE. Because of his family’s prosperous background, Plato was treated to fine education. Plato’s upbringing ultimately influenced his viewpoints on particular subjects pertaining to philosophy and politics, a majority of his thoughts were pulled from two chief occurrences in his life; the Spartans victory over Athens in the Peloponnesian War, and the teachings, as well as the execution, of Socrates. The Peloponnesian War began before Plato’s birth, yet didn’t end until he was abo...
Just as in the modern society to which we live, where everyone feels justice has a different meaning, the society of Plato also struggled with the same problem. In this paper, I will look into the Republic, one of the books of Plato that resides heavily on defining an answer to the meaning of Justice, and try to find an absolute definition. I will also give my opinion on what I personally think justice is. During the time Socrates and his fellow citizens spent looking for a definition, they came across many different examples. Well-known Athenians, such as Polemarchus, bring out their own definitions of what justice is, with examples like Justice is "Doing the right thing, or "Giving everyone his due.
In Plato’s Republic, justice and the soul are examined in the views of the multiple characters as well as the Republic’s chief character, Socrates. As the arguments progress through the Republic, the effect of justice on the soul is analyzed, as the question of whether or not the unjust soul is happier than the just soul. Also, Plato’s theories of justice in the man, the state, and the philosopher king are clearly linked to the cardinal virtues, as Plato describes the structure of the ideal society and developing harmony between the social classes. Therefore, the statement “justice is the art which gives to each man what is good for his soul” has to be examined through the definitions of justice given in the Republic and the idea of the good
Enhancing Society's View of Justice The Republic of Plato written by Plato and translated by Allan Bloom emphasizes the importance of justice in society through the use of highly developed arguments by influential and prominent figures in Athens, Greece. Socrates, known for his anomalous use of arguments and rhetoric with speech, begins tackling the question of what justice is, through a series of discussions. Cephalus, Polemarchus' father, defines justice using truth and the return of goods as his essential point. Socrates then presents the case of returning weapons to a man who's gone mad, making Cephalus realize the defect in his position.
Much of the western hemisphere has been greatly influenced by the B.C.E. Roman and Greek culture. The Romans adopted Greek culture, in similar spirt as the west, giving way to an intertwined culture of mutual traditions, adapted religions, and their bridged knowledge of literature. The Romans found Greek’s to be admirable in ways such as gods of parallel fashion, like Hades to Pluto, and the hunger for knowledge when learning the teachings of philosophy from Greeks with likes of Aristotle. First, taking a look into Roman religion its apparent the bond of shared worship of depicted deities. According to Our Human History pg. 176, the Romans adopted many of the Greek named gods and goddesses and renamed them with Roman style names, the Greek adopted god Vesta, goddess of hearth and family, was uniquely appointed a temple to house a continuous fire that was to represent “the strength of the [Roman] republic”.
Unlike Socrates, Plato did have many writing. Because of Socrates influence, he was often the main character in a lot of Plato’s writing. For example, in one of his dialogues called The Republic, he describes the idea of government and creates an ideal state to show Socrates’ principle of specialization. “Plato considers at length the ways in which the lives of the unjust are inferior to those of the just, where these ways include, but are not limited to the frustrations born of their individual patterns of implementation failure” (Bobonich & Destree 94). His ideal society consisted of three classes: producers, auxiliaries, and guardians. Producers were usually craftsman, farmers, and artisans. Auxiliaries were warriors and guardians were rulers. He believed that each of the classes should perform only the duties that fit their societal role because that is the position in which nature had put them. “…More plentiful and better-quality goods are more easily produced if each person does one thing for which he is naturally suited, does it at the right time, and is released from having to do any of the others” (Plato). He thought that if everyone stuck to his or her role and didn’t interfere with another social class, the government would work a lot
Plato was very displeased with the dominant collapsing conditions in Athens. The Athenian republic was on the verge of ruin and was responsible for Secrate's death. Plato saw that justice would be the only cure for saving Athens from ruin. Nothing stressed him in current affairs more than incompetence and political selfishness, which was flourishing in Athens at the time. Plato found in justice the medication for curing these problems.