The Republic and Aristotle - Coursework Example

The Republic and Aristotle Question In defining the best Plato in the Republic refers to the best as the onewhere the almost all the public uses the expression of mine and not mine of same issues in the same manner. Under the context, the aim to define the character of individuals within the best state prompts Plato to use such defining words. Here the best city is linked to a situation where different people live like one individual. The approach requires a situation that calls for suffering or joy of one person to result in suffering or joy of all the other people within the best state. Like the same way when a person’s finger is in pain, and the whole body reacts to the pain of a single finger, all society members need to work in the same manner with one another. The aspect of individualism is opposed and the concept of people within the state working together as a system. The need to work together as a system ensures perceiving of everyone as interrelated with each other. Here, the concept of individualism fails and people relate to each other the same way the body is interlinked with other organs. Question 2 In the Republic, Socrates uses four cardinal virtues in explaining the city as well as an individual to indicate how the best city needs to operate. To Socrates, these virtues remain essential for both the city and the people within the city an indication that these virtues need to be present for both the citizens and their state. The four cardinal virtues Socrates relates to while defining a city and the individual refers to justice, wisdom, fortitude as well as moderation. Of all the other virtues within an individual or the city, these exists only the four listed virtues as the origin an indication that the four remain the essential virtues. The virtue of wisdom to Socrates refers to the ability of a person to present the best judgments relating to various actions while considering the best actions at any given time. To Socrates, the Guardians need to possess the virtue of wisdom as they possess the knowledge relating to how the city is run. Fortitude o the other hand relates to courage that amounts to an individual’s ability to challenge fear, intimidation, as well as uncertainty. To Socrates, like the same way individuals need courage, cities should possess the courage to ensure confronting evils within the city. Question 3 In book VIII, Plato presents an argument against democracy through presenting social as well as psychological critiques. After presenting the five forms of regimes, an explanation of every form of regime from its origin to where it leads the society is given. Democracy, therefore, results from the decline of oligarchy where the desire for wealth leads to higher interest rates eventually increasing the numbers of the poor while a few thrive. Those driven by utter poverty spend most of their time hating the wealthy while also plotting revolution. Since the rich ignores the sounds of the poor majority, the poor eventually set up revolutions and manage to remove the rich from the power through killing a few of them. When the poor manages to get the rich out of power, they form a constitution that presents equality for all the members of the state without favor. The right to freedom remains the key goal of each within such a state and therefore there exists a failure in identifying the right individuals to take leadership positions. Consequently, there fails order or harmony within such a state as no particular individual is designated with the best role within a democratic state. Question 4 Through the use of Socrates teachings, Plato presents what constitutes the most ethical human life as one that leads to ultimate happiness. The basis of Plato’s ethical human life relies on morality that entails a relationship with each other as the core objective of ethical human life and eventually to the broad ideals that other translators refer to as personal happiness. Moral standards explained by Plato served in a manner to express how individuals ought to treat each other whereas ethical standards served in a means of explaining how individuals should live their life. Through considering others happiness and that of oneself, an individual manages to achieve full happiness as Plato emphasizes. Therefore, to ensure living a life of happiness Plato calls for living ethically that is achieved by relying on independent moral principles. It is equally important to note that one individual’s life according to Plato may achieve a better objectivity while compared to that of other people. To ensure attainment of such an ideal goal, focusing on attainment of independent moral principles is essential. Therefore, where a person fully observes independent moral principles, there exists likelihood that such an individual will live a better life full of happiness. Question 5 According to Aristotle and his doctrine of the mean, the virtues present and essential for both the city and individuals lie between two correlative faults. Like Plato, Aristotle was major believer of the concept of the virtues as essentials for both individuals and the city but presented a varying idea relating to the constraints of these virtues. Aristotle therefore indicated that despite the significant benefits derived from the use of the virtues within both the individual and the state, there exist faults or vices related teach virtue. These faults results mostly to overuse or underuse. For example, taking the virtue of courage in Aristotle’s perspective, when one possesses the virtue of courage in excess, recklessness would result while if limited, cowardice would prevail. It is, therefore, important to balance the amount of courage within the state and the individual to avoid detrimental effects. Considering that virtue of wisdom in both the state and the individual, possessing too little wisdom is foolishness while too much may lead to making irrational decisions. Therefore, a balance should exist between the form of virtues held for both the state and individuals. Question 6 In his work Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle focuses on friendship where he presents three forms of friendship that exist among individuals based on utility, pleasure, as well as goodness. The fist form of friendship results from utility where the people falling for that form of friendship derive particular benefits for one another. Aristotle perceives such form of friendship as a form of friendship that is very easy to dissolve as it forms its basis on a particular thing that one individual brings to the relationship. Aristotle presents the idea of friendships based on trade citing the reason for their existence as the dealings between the trading parties. The second form of friendship relates to friendship based on pleasure where those forming friendship get attracted to each other as a result of attractions from wits, good looks among others. The last form of friendship refers to friendship based on goodness where parties are forming friendship forms their basis on the goodness from one another and helps each other to strive for goodness. Individuals forming their friendship on the basis of goodness ensure developing a virtue of loving more than focusing on the aspect of getting loved more than they love. Question7 Aristotle’s engagement in Greek’s political affairs played a significant role in ensuring his development of political perception of the goal of political science. According to Aristotle, the role of political science is to ensure studying the roles of the statesman or the politician in an approach similar to how medical science concerns a doctor. The politician is tasked with a significant role in ensuring that the state is presented with the best constitution through ensuring creation of laws, customs as well as institutions for the citizens of a state. After creating the constitution, the role of ensuring maintenance, reforms introduction where necessary as well as preventing any developments that might stop the role of the constitution rests with politicians. The concept according to Aristotle possesses significant aspect of politics as opposed to any other form of politics that politicians exercise on a daily basis. Aspects such as passing of decrees are thus insignificant according to Aristotle as they fail to capture the basis and the main role of politicians within a state. Through presenting a comparison between a politician and a craftsman, Aristotle portrays how a politician’s role is closely related to that of the craftsman. Read More