Analysis of Plato's Republic Essay

(Apology 21a) He first traveled to the politicians but found them lacking wisdom. He next visited the posts and saw that, though they spoke in alluring verses, they did so through pure inspiration, not because they had the wisdom of any kind. Finally, Socrates found that the craftsman had the expertise of their craft, but that they ultimately accepted themselves to know much more than they did. Socrates terminated that he was exceeding than his fellow citizens because while they thought they knew something and did not, he was cognizant of his ignorance. The God who speaks through the oracle is truly wise, whereas human wisdom is worth little or nothing. (Apology

Plato is a philosopher; however, in “Plato’s Republic,” Plato’s view on philosophers within society is rather unorthodox compared with others who study philosophy. This is due to Plato’s views of individuals each having different skills they are naturally good at; he states that only true philosophers will be fit to rule. All others who attempt to rule will create terrible consequences for a city. The people shun philosophers because they are lovers of knowledge and are perceived to be different from them. The majority of people in a city are not lovers of knowledge but rather lovers of beauty.

Socrates uses several different rhetorical strategies while conversing with his student Glaucon in Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”. He uses these rhetorical strategies in order to strengthen his argument and to effectively convince his reader that his beliefs are correct. Socrates effectively responds to Glaucon’s questions through his usage of allegory, logos, and symbols.

In the fall of 2017, I wrote a paper for my political theory class about the way the “just man”, described by Socrates in Plato’s Republic, would act. This paper was the source of our midterm grade and I chose the topic from a list of limited options. To gain a deeper understanding of this paper, one may delve into its rhetorical context. So, to completely gain a grasp of its rhetorical context, one must identify the significance of the author, audience, topic, and the author’s purpose.

The gadfly metaphor that Socrates uses seems to suggest that the value of philosophy is invaluable. He states that a great and noble horse has become sluggish, which symbolizes that the people of the city were ignorant and unmotivated in their pursuit of life. Socrates, at this time, declares that “the god” placed him in that city so that he would be to the people like a gadfly is to a horse. A gadfly is a fly that that provokes or annoys an animal into action. This provocation that Socrates uses is “philosophy”.

on his students, like Plato, for any detailed knowledge of his methods or ways of thinking. One of the early dialogues

However, the philosophical approach is quite the opposite in The Republic, Plato displays Socrates as the main speaker and provides an ultimate approach to how the government should be set up. This is quite the contrast from Socrates’ philosophical approach in The Apology. For example, in book 7, the philosopher/freed prisoner is the wisest person and is all knowing after he leaves the cave. “...In the knowable realm, the form of the good is the last thing to be seen, and it is reached only with difficulty. Once one has seen it...one must conclude that it is the cause of all that is correct and beautiful in anything…” (Plato, 1135) This meaning that wisdom can be reached and once it has been, a person will understand everything. This wisdom is referred to by

Throughout his life, Socrates engaged in critical thinking as a means to uncover the standards of holiness, all the while teaching his apprentices the importance of continual inquiry in accordance with obeying the laws. Socrates primarily focuses on defining that which is holy in The Euthyphro – a critical discussion that acts as a springboard for his philosophical defense of the importance of lifelong curiosity that leads to public inquiry in The Apology. Socrates continues his quest for enlightenment in The Crito, wherein he attempts to explain that while inquiry is necessary, public curiosity has its lawful price, thus those who inquire must both continue to do so and accept the lawful consequences

This paper discussed The Allegory of The Cave in Plato's Republic, and tries to unfold the messages Plato wishes to convey with regard to his conception of reality, knowledge and education.

Socrates, who is known as the lover of wisdom has illustrated in this dialogue his simple love that a true philosopher must have if he is to work his way from ignorance to belief to true belief and finally to knowledge, which ultimately can only be arrived at in death.  Plato greatly admired his predecessor and teacher Socrates and most of his dialogues depict Socrates in the best of ways, with a passion for the dialectic.

This article by James Allen presents the ideas that Plato presented in his work the Republic. Plato first mentions in the Republic that teaching the love of beauty could be the highest aim of education. Plato did not think of art as we commonly do in today’s world. Plato and the Greeks equated crafts or arts with a special skill set. In fact, art derives from the Latin translation ars. Our western culture back in the day associated the arts with crafts until the idea of “aesthetic” properties. Aesthetics deals with the idea of appreciating beauty. Then Plato next emphasizes the importance of the need for stories to educate children during their childhood. This idea originated from the Greeks in their schooling. There are two types of stories,

Do not be angry with me for speaking the truth; no man will survive who genuinely opposes you or any other crowd and prevents the occurrence of many unjust and illegal happenings in the city. A man who really fights for justice must lead a private, not a public, life if he is to survive for even a short time. (Apology 31e-32a)

In Republic, Plato shows through the education of the Guardians that education within his ideal society must focus on training students to the path that has been chosen for them and prioritize the greater good over advancement of individuals by allowing censorship of unideal ideas and traits. This regulated education focuses on bringing out the strongest desirable trait within an individual in order to place them into predestined positions in society based on their nature, or soul, and seeks to benefit society as a whole before benefitting individual people.

So often in life people take shortcuts as a means to obtaining the goals they seek. Why work toward a Master’s degree when a Bachelor’s will suffice? Why ask questions about a particular candidate in an political race when it is easier to choose a party to support? Surely those in charge know more than we do, so why should we refute them? According to Plato, this attitude exhibits a lack of education (educare), which leaves a person blind to the truth. The Republic by Plato clearly defines the overall theme of education (educare) through paideia that is crucial to the purification (katharsis) of the soul (psyche) by turning the soul (psychagoge) toward the good via “the

Plato is regarded at the world’s greatest philosopher. He had views and opinions on everything they teach in school and then some. He even had views and opinions on how the school process, or education, should go. Plato’s Republic Books 1-7 target the three primary points of education; the intentional selection or deselection of media, the Theory of the Forms, and the use of fear and pain as the part of the education process.