Platos The Republic Books 6 Through 10 Essay - 931 Words

Plato’s The Republic Books 6 through 10 nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In books 6 through 10 of Plato’s Republic, we see many different discussions on the subject of justice, philosophy, and goodness. The philosopher Socrates has now defined what a philosopher is. His next task is to show that a philosopher is best qualified to be the ruler of a state. A good ruler must surely know what Justice and Goodness are, for he must administer Justice and always act for the good of the community. But a philosopher, as we have seen, has knowledge of the Forms, so from this point of view at least, he is best qualified to be a ruler. A good ruler must have a good character as well as a good mind; he must always be truthful, high-minded, and†¦show more content†¦nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;This analogy does not tell us what Goodness is; it only gives us some idea of the relation in which Goodness stands to other intelligible or knowable things. He also tells about the Allegory of the Cave, which contains a number of important an d interesting messages. For one thing, it illustrates Plato’s belief that all knowledge is connected in the knowledge of Goodness itself. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The study of the five branches of mathematics, can serve only as an introduction to the real intellectual training that the future philosopher-rulers must receive. Plato considers mathematics to be the first stage in the intellectual education of the philosopher-ruler. If they have mastered mathematics, then they will have begun to think in abstract terms. However, we do not want them to be mathematicians, but rather philosophers. They must therefore learn to understand the nature of Reality- that is, they must grasp the Forms. To be able to do this, says Socrates, they must learn to argue logically. The science of logical argument is called â€Å"Dialetic.† We must, therefore, teach them Dialectic. Philosophers must learn the whole knowledge of Goodness and argue in Dialectic. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In Book VII, Socrates now outlines the entire program of study for the futureShow MoreRelatedThe Notions of Justice in The Republic and Antigone1707 Words   |  7 PagesWithin two classical works of philosophical literature, notions of justice are presented plainly. Plato’s The Republic and Sophocles’ Antigone both address elements of death, tyranny and immorality, morality, and societal roles. These topics are important elements when addressing justice, whether in the societal representation or personal representation. Antigone uses the concept of death in many ways when unfolding the tragic story of Antigone and her rebellion. The most obvious way is how deathRead MoreSocrates as Philosopher King Essay1709 Words   |  7 Pageschanged history.   The legendary Athenian, Socrates, was one such figure.   Socrates ushered in an era of philosophical inquiry that still lingers to this day.   In Book Seven of Platos The Republic, Socrates outlines his perfect regime.   According to Socrates, an enlightened Philosopher-King must rule such a regime.   Now suppose this Republic actually came into being, and Socrates was asked to rule it as a Philosopher King.   Would he?   Answering this begs three important questions:   Is Socrates a trueRead More plato Essay1175 Words   |  5 Pagescave, opulently describes beneficial metaphors and elaborate imagery about knowledge, ignorance, truth and lastly enlightenment. The allegory of the cave appears at the beginning of Book VII of Plato’s The Republic, which in itself is principally a study of justice, government and leadership. In The Republic, Plato describes a cave containing individuals confined to the cave floor, bound by shackles. They are unable to move their heads and stare incessantly at the cave wall directly in front ofRead MoreMimesis: Plato and Aristotle1536 Words   |  7 PagesMimesis: Plato and Aristotle 1,515 Words Philosophy 2348: Aesthetics\ The term ‘mimesis’ is loosely defined as ‘imitation’, and although an extensive paper could be written about the cogency of such a narrow definition, I will instead focus on Plato and Aristotle’s contrasting judgements of mimesis (imitation). I will spend one section discussing Plato’s ideas on mimesis and how they relate to his philosophy of reality and the forms. I will then spend a section examining Aristotle’s differingRead MoreEssay on Plato on the Existence of Negative Forms4235 Words   |  17 PagesPlato on the Existence of Negative Forms The question of the origin and nature of evil in the world has preoccupied philosophers throughout history. The ancient philosopher Plato does not directly address this question in his writings, but it can be argued that the logic of his theory of forms demands the existence of forms that are negative in meaning, such as the evil and the bad. When discussing his theory of imitation, Plato alludes to the principle that whenever there areRead More Plato and The Renaissance Essay1810 Words   |  8 Pages Plato (428-347 B.C.E.) is considered to be one of the greatest philosophers the world has ever known. Though concerned with specific problems of his own era, Platos ideas transcend all time. Throughout the ages his works have been translated into many languages and studied by great thinkers of every region of the world. A revival of Platonic thought occurred during the Renaissance. Though Platos ideas have survived in their original forms, translators and commentator s during Renaissance timesRead MorePlato and Confucius4610 Words   |  19 Pagesethical theory has been deeply influenced by Plato’s Republic, Eastern ethical theory has been deeply influenced by Confucius’s Analects. David Haberman describes the Republic as ‘one of the most influential books of all time’ (86). And Bryan Van Norden compares (with considerable fervor) the Analects to ‘the combined influence of Jesus and Socrates’ (3). On the surface, there are many similarities between Confucius and Plato. Both taught through means of dialogue, and both expressed reticence toRead MoreEducation, Crisis And The Cultivation Of A Great Leader3160 Words   |  13 Pagesphilosophies of Plato, Rousseau, and Arendt to further explore and discuss my position on the role of education as a prominent factor in societal predicaments throughout mankind’s history. Plato: Educating The Philosopher King The first word that I will discuss is Plato’s â€Å"The Republic†; I will go through his philosophical ideas in the following section, analyzing how Plato addressed the issues in Athens regarding the conflicts within the Athenian civilization. It is in Plato’s The Republic, Book VII whereRead More Justice for All Ages Essay example4920 Words   |  20 Pagesplagued the ancient philosophers and continues to plague the professional and amateur academic philosophers of today. The question is so hard, because it is quite difficult to know where to begin. Socrates1 spoke of justice in relation to the gods, Plato in relation to an individual’s duty in society, and Achilles, in a somewhat indirect way, in relation to honor and loyalty. All three of these men had very convincing arguments about the true nature of justice, but it is impossible to say now, or mostRead More Researching Socratic Pedagogy and Education in Platos Republic4973 Words   |  20 Pagesan d Education in Platos Republic ABSTRACT: Though Plato never wrote a dialogue that explicitly asks, What is education?, few argue that he is uninterested in the subject; after all, Plato, like Socrates, was a teacher. In his magnum opus, the Republic, Plato deals with education repeatedly. The eduction of the guardian class and the allegory of the cave present two landmark pedagogical passages. Yet to catch a glimpse of Socratic pedagogy, we must first sift through the intricacies of dialogue