Education and the Value of Justice - Research Paper Example

The Republic Insert Insert Pla Education and the Value of Justice Men and Women Through covering the research topic of Republic, have selected the case of Plato: Education and the Value of the Justice through his study of The Philosophy of Pages that had first publication by Kemerlin Garth in the year 1997 and then revised in the year 2011. This article covers the effects of democracy that Plato in 15th century was trying to effect or exercise to the citizens. The author, therefore, majorly based his area of study in Greek country where he took his time to explain the philosophical principles that Plato was championing for in the democratic city of Athens. Plato championed for the equality for both women and men in all aspects of life. He believed also that all men are taller than women are but later came to realize this as a false theory. He initially believed that men and women are different in height, strength and other similar qualities. Plato also believed that the interest of the state has presentation through raising and education of children by the society. He, therefore, proposed simple schemes of nurturing and training of children. However, the same children had no permission to watch and listen to dangerous arts but were encouraged to witness the first hand, violence of war. Plato, therefore, held the presumed pleasures of family life, which the higher classes of society must be prepared to forgo at present. Philosopher or King Plato’s aristocratic might as well as persuade, as that is the best ideal way of life or structure of a city or state. The tough question that waits is; is there a possibility of implementing such ideas to human society? Yes, it may be possible and true because the philosophers always believe in the truth for it is the truth that is the facts of everyday life. Plato believed that an ideal state with the best with the best capabilities of human attainment of social life by involving with the right people. In this situation, the success of the whole is the wisdom of the rulers who are the decision makers of the entire city. Plato also believed that a perfect society is applicable if only the kings become philosophers and the reverse of the same too; that is if also the philosophers become the kings. Philosophers results from perfection, not born. Therefore, by examining the program of education where Plato proposed that the future philosopher kings acquire the information needed for their function as decision makers for the society as a whole. The Structure of Human Knowledge In any society, usually the characters are well equipped with the wisdom that rules since they are aware on what to do or not for the benefit of that particular society. The society should consider how best she should educate her philosophers to be equipped with the best management techniques. Plat on this context, death of infants denies the society the future brains. The way the children are also treated also matters especially in relation to the control they accorded with at that their tender age. Plato maintained that those with the greatest ability; people with natural talent gifted for study must receive the best education and proper instilling of control throughout their lives. Knowledge of good is the highest goal of all education according to Plato since it not only aware of particular benefits and pleasures, but also to be acquainted with the forms it. He argued that the good provides the ultimate means of standard by which one can understand the point of everything that has value. Therefore, the time, according to the author occurs in three different stages depending upon the nature of objects in which each case concerns. There is a clear difference between just a mere opinion one can have regarding a particular idea, theme or subject of discussion and the real one can have of the invisible realms of Forms. Plato maintained that each of these two varieties has two distinct varieties. One can picture the entire area of human cognition as a line divided proportionally into four segments. Shadows image with respect to which imagination or conjecture is appropriate is the appropriate degree of awareness from the lowest level of reality but offers the most primitive and unreliable opinions. The ordinary physical objects are available in physical realms and our perception of them provides the basis for belief. That is the most accurate possible conception of nature and temporal things. People become first acquainted with relatively the simplest forms of shapes, numbers and other mathematical entities as people move forward to the intelligible realm. At this level, systematic data achievement is by a disciplined understanding. He last and the highest level is the more significant forms; Equity, Beauty, Truth and Good itself. These are usually permanent objects of information and are directly apprehended by institution; the fundamental capacity of human reasoning to comprehend the nature of reality. The Allegory of Cave This is a scenario where an individual comes to understand the point in the world after managing to escape from the dark end. A cave is used in this case to represent this dark end point the man initially was before coming to understand the sense of reality. This allegory according to Plato represents a state of ordinary human existence. The author argues that people from cave rising belongs a world of impermanence and partiality, the realism of sensible objects. The few who have escaped from those particular situations have as well as achieved the eternal experience of reform. It, therefore, appropriately serves the modern man if he or she is to follow their guidance, control of her own mind and accurate understanding of the highest objects of human contemplation. An Education Program After initially adopting the elementary education and physical training that occupied the first 20 years of life of the prospective guardian, Plato used his account of structuring the personal information for him to achieve the pursuit of higher education in his state. Mathematics is the most essential step towards achieving this essential step of learning to turn away the realm of particulars forms of reality. Although the arithmetic provides the preliminary development of abstract concepts, Plato insisted on the use of geometry where he argued for its value in its attention to the life forms. For example, in the study of astronomy and harmonics that enhances further development of skills of abstract thinking and proportional reasoning. It is through mathematical basis that the future leaders or rulers of the city were prepared to begin their study of philosophy, systemizing the mathematical truth, learning to value and eliminate all their presumptions and grounding all the genuinely knowledge firmly on the basis of intuitive grasp of the reality of forms. Lastly, an extension in the time of apprenticeship also will help in training and application of learned materials to the necessary decisions for the city welfare at large. After reaching their fifties, the philosophers mostly are best to rule over their fellow citizens. State and person Plato devoted much of his time to explain clear distinction between justice and injustice by defining five kinds of state (or by sociology; kinds of person) by ranking them from the best to the worst as discussed below; First is the aristocratic state in which the person is rational, spirited and appetitive to his or her goals. These are the realest governments since they depict actual justice at the social and personal levels. There is also a democratic society or government where someone is more concerned with belligerently defending personal honor and wisely choosing what is truly best. For example, the soldiers making decisions only belong to their better-educated rulers. Thirdly is the oligarchic state where in this case both classes of guardian press into the service of ruling the group comprises of a few but powerful and wealthy citizens. Fourthly, there is the demographic state that respects of equality for citizens, but delivers anarchy of an unruly mob in only fulfillment of personal self-interests. A person in this state is under control by decisions, acknowledgement with power to achieve the financial satisfaction. Lastly, is the tyrannical society, where particular individual has control and restores order in place of anarchy, but serving only the interest of the welfare prior to the whole society. A tyrannical person in this case is of focus on the satisfaction of desire at the count of what truly matters. The governments found in this state are unjust even if they may look well organized and efficient. The above governments presented by Plato also forms part of persons, are just ways of identifying of how justice is achieved by each state. Justice Better than Injustice Plato in himself believed that the justice is superior to injustice by offering those arguments that demonstrate the intrinsic meaning of being a just a person. Plato reiterated that the just of an aristocratic person from an effortless harmony amongst elements of soil while that of unjust life of a tyrannical person can maintain the characteristic imbalance. It is only by the exertion of enormous power. Secondly, Plato claimed that tyrannical individuals can only appreciate measures of the business benefits of favorable public reputation either by nature or transitory. Aristocrat people can accept these things in moderation and transcend to them in order to enjoy intellectual achievement through immutable forms. Lastly, Plato resorted with myth that the justice will have a reward with a steady progression in a series of life hereafter. Even if it were a true demonstration that just is reward in the afterlife, it would be only intrinsic motives of being unjust and not proof its intrinsic value. Conclusion Although Plato majorly based his topic of discussion on the Republic; also, his dialogue includes an eloquent appeal on the behalf of life of justice and personal non-violence in all things. References Plato. (1929). The Republic of Plato. London: CUP Archive. Kemerling, G (2011). The Philosophy of Pages; Creating Common Attributions-Share Alike 3.0-Updated Licence Read More