How did Plato describe society in the republic?

Plato’s strategy in The Republic is to first explicate the primary notion of societal, or political, justice, and then to derive an analogous concept of individual justice. He claims that the soul of every individual has a three part structure analagous to the three classes of a society.

What was Socrates ideal society?

In the book “The Republic,” by Plato, Socrates constructs a utopia of a pure aristocracy to channel his visions of what he constitutes to be a just city. Socrates’ ideal of justice, is of a virtue that can be developed out of reason and knowledge, and when tuned correctly can be the justified way of governing a city.

What is the republic by Socrates?

Written in 380 BC, The Republic essentially consists of Socrates discussing the meaning and nature of justice with various men, speculating how different hypothetical cities, underpinned by different forms of justice, would fare.

What is society for Plato?

The Masses. Plato described a perfect society as one where everyone lived harmoniously and without the fear of violence or material possession. He believed that political life in Athens was to rowdy and that no one would be able to live a good life with that kind of democracy.

How did Socrates view the state?

Socrates argues, in an ideal state, a person who is highly educated, has passion for learning of all kinds, and has achieved the understanding of the form of the good should govern; this person is the philosopher king.

Is the Republic Plato or Socrates?

Since the mid-nineteenth century, the Republic has been Plato’s most famous and widely read dialogue. As in most other Platonic dialogues the main character is Socrates. It is generally accepted that the Republic belongs to the dialogues of Plato’s middle period.

Where does Plato’s Republic take place?

The Port of Athens (Piraeus) Being the port of Athens, a major and powerful city-state in ancient Greece, Piraeus was a place to meet people from all over the world—and to hear about how things like government and justice went down outside of Greece.

Who did Socrates learn from?

Socrates wrote nothing. All that is known about him has been inferred from accounts by members of his circle—primarily Plato and Xenophon—as well as by Plato’s student Aristotle, who acquired his knowledge of Socrates through his teacher.

What is Plato’s Republic about?

Plato’s Republic Explained. Written in 380 BC, The Republic essentially consists of Socrates discussing the meaning and nature of justice with various men, speculating how different hypothetical cities, underpinned by different forms of justice, would fare. Confusingly, The Republic is not about a republic.

Why did Socrates argue that humans enter political life?

Socrates argues that humans enter political life since each is not self-sufficient by nature. Each human has certain natural abilities (370a) and doing only the single job one is naturally suited for, is the most efficient way to satisfy the needs of all the citizens (370c).

What is Socrates’ position on Justice in the Republic?

In Plato’s early dialogues, Socrates refutes the accounts of his interlocutors and the discussion ends with no satisfactory answer to the matter investigated. In the Republic however, we encounter Socrates developing a position on justice and its relation to e udaimonia (happiness).

What was Plato’s influence on politics?

His ideas on, for example, the nature and value of justice, and the relationship between justice and politics, have been extraordinarily influential. Written after the Peloponnesian War, The Republic reflected Plato’s perception of politics as a dirty business that sought mainly to manipulate the unthinking masses.