StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Discuss the views of Socrates and Plato in regards to what the best political system should be - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Though all had their own theories, Plato was more of Socrates student. Plato’s work and theories show that he valued and trusted the teaching of Socrates. Having faith in Socrates…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.1% of users find it useful
Discuss the views of Socrates and Plato in regards to what the best political system should be
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Discuss the views of Socrates and Plato in regards to what the best political system should be"

Socrates and Plato’s Best Political System View Socrates and Plato believed that in an ideal republic, each person can live a more perfect life. Though all had their own theories, Plato was more of Socrates student. Plato’s work and theories show that he valued and trusted the teaching of Socrates. Having faith in Socrates teachings; Plato has made Socrates a point of reference in most of his dialogues and work. Through Socrates questions and descriptions, one is enabled to understand what Plato‘s ideal republic would look like (Mara 28).1) Socrates views on DemocracyThough appreciated by many, Socrates was a critic of democracy.

Democracy can be defined through its features: privacy, equality, affirming freedom and diversity. According to Socrates democracy is not good enough for an ideal republic. Socrates describes democracy as whimsical and with no stable character. Through this, Socrates paints a democratic state as unstable state that is in the act of doing the good thing and bad things whenever they feel like. According to Socrates, democratic states are so subject to things that are not necessary (Jowett and Plato 68).

According to Socrates, democracy is hostile to all forms of authority. This is from the fact that one of the pillars that define democracy is freedom. Therefore an authority of any form will automatically be viewed as an attempt to limit freedom (Mara 43). Socrates says that democrats will prefer to die than to submit to authority. Socrates gives the situation where students start to disobey their teachers since they don’t want any form of authority.2) Plato’s View of RepublicPlato views a republic to be determined by “Good Life.

” To Plato, “Good Life” is a kind of harmony that is reached through the application of pure reasoning and justice with the product being a more perfect good life possible. In explaining this, Plato compares the operation of a society and an individual being (Jowett and Plato 58).Plato supposed that human beings have the same features and performs the same functions as city-states. That is a human being is similar to trees, buildings and other physical materials that make a city. Thus each human being is a complex structure made of different parts that has distinct roles.

In addition, Plato believed that the human soul has three parts: reason, desire and emotion. He uses this to elaborate that one can’t do things with a part of his soul or the whole soul. According to Plato, accepting and pursuing one thing is opposite to the rejection and avoidance of the same thing and since they are opposite forces they can’t belong to the same part of the soul but different (Jowett and Plato 72).Plato argues that these three parts of the souls represent: The making money reproductive class (appetitive class), the auxiliary or military class (spirited class) and the ruling class (rational class) respectively.

Each class, therefore, must certain functions and work together for the common good for the city to succeed (Mara 29).I do agree with Plato’s idea in relation to the ideal state since it is true that the society of the city is made by different individuals that have different roles to play from farming to the processors to the consumers, but for the sake of success, all these different individuals must work together since without it the chain is broken and the rest suffers.Works CitedJowett, Benjamin and Plato.

Plato: The Republic. Charleston: Forgotten Books, 2008. Print.Mara, Gerald M. Socrates Discursive Democracy: Logos and Ergon in Platonic Political Philosophy. New York: State University of New York Press, 1997. Print.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Discuss the views of Socrates and Plato in regards to what the best Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1678414-discuss-the-views-of-socrates-and-plato-in-regards-to-what-the-best-political-system-should-be
(Discuss the Views of Socrates and Plato in Regards to What the Best Essay)
https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1678414-discuss-the-views-of-socrates-and-plato-in-regards-to-what-the-best-political-system-should-be.
“Discuss the Views of Socrates and Plato in Regards to What the Best Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1678414-discuss-the-views-of-socrates-and-plato-in-regards-to-what-the-best-political-system-should-be.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Discuss the views of Socrates and Plato in regards to what the best political system should be

Socrates

This particular proclamation of Socrates signified that it is not possible knowingly to do what is good which apparently contradicts the views of Protagoras stating that individuals can be taught of doing good.... Socrates Table of Contents Introduction 3 Thesis Statement 3 Explanation of the Argument 4 Analysis 5 Conclusion 7 Works Cited 8 Introduction socrates and Protagoras hold dissimilar philosophical views about different aspects of teaching and learning virtue....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Political and Social Problems

This finds support in the works of socrates and Machiavelli.... For him the citizens should be obedient and if not they should be forced to do so.... Crime brings disorder and harm to the society and as such should be dealt with accordingly by use of the law enforcement machineries.... The work of socrates is manifested in the works of classical theorists such as Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon and Aristophanes but mostly in Platonic dialogues (Taylor, 2001)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Socrates: Political Science and Philosophy

hellip; The arguments that Socrates had put forward to challenge the existing ideas of Athens of that time had been written down by plato in Apology.... The arguments that Socrates had put forward to challenge the existing ideas of Athens of that time had been written down by plato in Apology.... The central argument of socrates is that those individuals who are interested to stand for justice need to pursue a private life.... This stand of socrates may be somewhat impracticable....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Socrates - A Great Teacher

However, through Plato, we get a good view of some of socrates' lessons.... However, through Plato, we get a good view of some of socrates' lessons.... I feel that today, questioning and looking for the truth is not as valued in this society as doing what you are told; I think that Socrates can help reverse this trend.... This paper "Socrates – A Great Teacher" focuses on Socrates who was a great teacher, and the author wishes he wrote his lessons down himself, instead of just telling them to plato....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Socrates and plato

This is due to his rare strategic approach, on which he assumed he lacked information on the socrates and plato Socrates directly influences the concepts given by Plato in his philosophical theories.... Therefore, the relationship between socrates and plato is quite strong based on the formers influence on the latter.... The Relationship Between socrates and plato.... This relationship owes its presence to the fact that Socrates is regarded as the father of philosophy, while plato was his student (plato and Socrates)....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

Socrates on Obedience and Justice

Not what one says but what is likely to come with what has been said.... In his own words, it was the publics disapproval of him that he believed would bring about his downfall, and not what he did.... Because he has never been to court, he urged the jury to consider his position (plato 4-6).... Because he has never been to court, he urged the jury to consider his position (plato 4-6).... Of course, the charge was ridiculous, and Socrates made that clear by indicating that Meletus had disagreed with his earlier statement that Socrates had introduced new divinities and yet did not confide his faith in any supreme being (plato 3-7)....
2 Pages (500 words) Assignment

Corrosion of Moral Character in the Workplace

The bible also tries to explain moral character in the book of Genesis where God had man created in his own image meaning that man was designed to behave and have the character that God intended him to have and from the Christian point of view it means that the morals that they should uphold should be those that conform with the character of God (Catlin, 1818, p.... They so often than not involved Socrates trying to get an explanation from the people that he was having the dialogue with on what a certain virtue pertained really was (Irwin, 1995, p....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Why Does Socrates Think We Have an Obligation to Obey the Laws of Society

As Smith (2007) highlights, he was a mysterious figure identified through the works of later traditional writers, especially the works of his students Xenophon and plato, and plays of his modern Aristophanes.... Therefore, at best, the critics of this argument claim that the obligation to obey and not harm one's own parents is a prima facie obligation.... His most notable philosophy, gathered from the writings of Plato, was the obligation to do what an individual thought was right even when facing widespread opposition, and the requirement to seek knowledge even when under resistance....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us