Platos republic, book 9 i think its funny, my last entry about platos republic books has the second highest views of all my entries. Curiously, socrates does not seem to consider these arguments to be coequal when he announces the third and final proof as the greatest and most decisive of the overthrows. We shrink from the idea of living in platos republic because we are driven by the wrong desiresby the desire for money, physical pleasure, and honor. The political turmoil of the late fifth and early fourth centuries clearly lies in the background of platos republic. Platos point is that, once a given state or a given man begins to decline morally, his fall will become somehow inexorable, the plummet to ruin inevitable. For starters, it s a conversation so earthshatteringly deep, serious, and lifealtering that it takes up an entire 300page book. Course hero literature instructor russell jaffe provides an indepth summary and analysis of book 8 of platos philosophical text the republic.
The introduction 54k book i 99k book ii 92k book iii 109k. After summarizing their decisions and the description of the city, socrates returns to his statement that the method used in the governing of this city is good, while there are four others worth discussing that are not good. During plato s life, athens was briefly controlled by an oligarchy, which rapidly decayed into a democracy, which executed socrates. Many people prefer to read offline or to print out text and read from the real printed page. The republic quizzes about important details and events in every section of the book. Our story begins as socrates and his friend glaucon head home from a festival. Now that the true state and true human have been clearly illustrated, the philosophers can revive the thread introduced earlier in the dialogue. The impoverished sit idly in the city hating those with wealth and plotting revolution. True art is not fanciful and imitative, but simple and ideal,the expression of the highest moral energy, whether in action or repose. We are now ready for book x of the present dialogue, which presents platos view of the arts and platos theory of the immortality of the soul.
Now in book viii socrates returns to his examples of unjust societies and unjust men. The four regimes socrates now names are the cretan or spartan regime, oligarchy, democracy, and. Plato discusses five regimes five forms of government in his republic, book viii. The chapter overviews the system of degenerate regimes in book 8 and examines what exactly goes wrong with them and why. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Lawless desires draw men toward all sorts of ghastly, shameless, criminal things.
In platos republic book 1, thrasymachus argues that morality is the advantage of the stronger. Before the companions start examining the tyrannical man, they try to sort out the desires. At the beginning of book 8 socrates summarizes the main features of the perfect state, and glaucon recalls socrates had previously promised the company to discuss the four principal forms of defective, or lessthanperfect, states. Ready to call it a night, theyre intercepted by a whole gang of their acquaintances, who eventually convince them to come hang out at polemarchus s house and have a nice, long chat. The tyrannical man is a man ruled by his lawless desires. To support his view, thrasymachus first claims that the governments, which are the stronger parties, always pass laws based on their own interest, and then argues that subjects must always obey these laws, therefore morality is the advantage of the stronger. The power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already. It is platos bestknown work, and has proven to be one of the worlds most influential works of philosophy.
In book vii socrates argues that justice involves searching for understanding of the forms, and imitating them, thus making justice itself good since the forms are the source of all good. Then they say that the wild, lawlessness of the democratic man needs an advocate, love, and a bodyguard. He then goes on to describe a mixedform which we can call a kallipolis beautiful city or ideal polity, his ideal mixedrepublic. Socrates argues that there are four main types of unjust states.
Book 1 book 2 book 3 book 4 book 5 book 6 book 7 book 8 book 9 book 10. In book 9 of platos republic we find three proofs for the claim that the just person is happier than the unjust person. Quite a few comments have been posted about the republic. Plato does not mean here that his are the only types, or that each state would. A substantial section of book 9 should be read as a direct continuation of book 8. But now that we have finished this topic let us recall the point at which we entered on the digression that has brought us here, so that we may proceed on our. Librivox recording of platos republic read by librivox volunteers. In book two, socrates, thrasymachus and adeimantus decide to focus on a.
It is a fiction book in the format of a discussion between socrates and others. In book v, socrates was about to develop his theories of injustice by arguing examples of injustice, when polemarchus and adeimantus asked him to continue his conversation about the guardians. Plato sees the conditions socrates describes as being symptomatic of the decline and fall of governments and men. The republic by plato, part of the internet classics archive. May 26, 2016 a discussion of book 9 of platos republic. The parts of the soul, their pleasures, and desires plato, republic book 9 a course in ethics duration.
Book ix opens with a long and psychologically insightful description of the tyrannical man. Socrates adeimantus last of all comes the tyrannical man. Platosoc then proceeds to extrapolate from these results to make a case for paternalistism. Ready to call it a night, theyre intercepted by a whole gang of their acquaintances, who eventually convince them to come hang out at polemarchuss house and have a nice, long chat. The republic has been divided into the following sections. Power, plato would agree, corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. He would add that if we were driven by the correct desires, the desire for truth, order, harmony, and the good of our society as a whole, we would be more open to adopting platos system. Now he prepares to argue that a just life is a happy one. The insatiable desire to attain more money leads to a practice of lending money at high interests.
Oct 14, 2015 summary and analysis of book 8 of platos republic. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis. Now that socrates has finished describing the just city, he returns to the interrupted task of describing the four unjust constitutions of city and man. The republic study guide contains a biography of plato, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Socrates glaucon and so, glaucon, we have arrived at the conclusion that in the perfect state wives and children are to be in common. It is known as a socratic dialogue and is perhaps one of platos best known works. With erik anderson, martin horn, alex mccooeye, mehrtash mohit.
In the third book of the republic a nearer approach is made to a theory of art than anywhere else in plato. The republic book ix summary and analysis gradesaver. The republic book viii summary and analysis gradesaver. The republic study guide contains a biography of plato, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a. The republic is a socratic dialogue by plato, written in approximately 380 bc. Also, a discussion of aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny. Socrates s examples of lawless desires are the desires to sleep with ones mother and to commit a foul murder. I honestly do not remember much, other than that he was a greek philosopher.
Others want to carry documents around with them on their mobile phones and read while they are on the move. In book x of our dialogue, socrates will argue platonic theory, or conjecture questions of probability. Democracy, equality, and eide in platos republic june 1998. Res publica is a socratic dialogue, authored by plato around 375 bc, concerning justice. Indeed, the republic stands today as his fearless rebuke of his own times. It is platos bestknown work, and has proven to be one of the worlds most influential works of philosophy and political theory, both intellectually. The central flaw in democracy, in his view, is an uncontrolled desire for freedom, which evolves into anarchy, thus leading to tyranny an attempt to control the anarchy. In addition to the aristocracy that we have been discussing for the past six books, and the philosopherking who microcosmically embodies and rules this government, socrates identifies four. Aug 31, 2009 platos republic, book ix book ix contains a description of the tyrannical man, and three arguments that he will be the least happy of men. They are aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny.
It aims to debate and conclusively determine the meaning of justice. Res publica was written in 380 bc and this version was translated by benjamin jowett in 1871. Summary in book v, socrates was about to develop his theories of injustice. They come up with a class of wild, terrible, lawless desires which reveal themselves in our sleep. The internet classics archive the republic by plato. Many in the city are driven to utter poverty while a few thrive. Were going to bet youve never had a conversation quite like the one in plato s republic. It is one of the most influential works of philosophy and political theory, and arguably platos best known work.
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