Plato Republic And Video Games Essay

The start of theater and drama in Ancient Greece took form in about 5th century b.c, with Sophocles being considered the master of tragedy. In his plays and those of the same genre, classic fables that the people of the era knew well were used to tell the stories. The tragic hero’s of these stories often strive to live honorable and righteous lives, but because of some mistake their lives would often great and noble death. The idea that serving the state was proper way to gain honor was a popular belief during this time period. This philosophy was echoed by Plato in his book, the Republic. Plato dealt with establishing the ideal state. The way to achieve the ideal state was through striving for justice. Justice, according to Plato, is doing only the tasks assigned to them by nature. This is the fundamental notion for his creation of an ideal city. It is both knowing what true justice is and where one belongs in the city that the ideal can be achieved. Justice in a city can be found in an individual as well outside the individual because it is a concept that is universal. If a ruler of a state was to maintain order and control over his people

Video games have become as pervasive an aspect of our society as television, with many people spending more time playing video games than watching television. There are many perspectives with which to gauge videos games’ effect on society, from a functionalist, conflict or interactionist perspective. (Schaefer, 2011) Each of these sociological theories can provide a different view of video games, how they affect society and the subcultures that develop around them.

"Unless," I said, "the philosophers rule as kings or those now called kings and chiefs genuinely and adequately philosophize, and political power and philosophy coincide in the same place, while the many natures now making their way to either apart from the other are by necessity excluded, there is no rest from ills for the cities, my dear Glaucon, nor I think for human kind, nor will the regime we have now described in speech ever come forth from nature, insofar as possible, and see the light of the sun."(THE REPUBLIC OF PLATO By Allan B- 473d - 473e)

As B. M. Laing states, The Republic argues "that justice is the principle which co-ordinates different arts" (Laing, "The Problem of Justice in Plato's Republic," p. 412). The definition of justice that Socrates attempts to explore throughout The Republic is one that considers the individual in relation to the city or the

Video game effects are relatively new in modern society. Even though these games are often entertaining, the content of the game has been increasingly more and more violent as technology becomes more prevalent. The popularity of violent video games has caused an increase in controversy. Parents and experts feel that some games are just too violent and they demand the government to regulate the sales of these games. However, violent video games do not cause an increase in aggression, in adolescents. The forceful plan by the government is caused by an exaggeration of the effects of violent video games and this plan are indeed pointless.

The Republic, Written by Plato deals with the many definitions/opinions of what “justice” really means. Socrates truly examines what he thinks the true value behind the word actually is. However, he isn’t alone other characters such as Cephalus, Thrasymachus, and Polemarchus all have something to contribute to the conversation. Socrates is the man who checks the truth behind each one, while Plato shares his thoughts on what Socrates believes is true. Truth in all the arguments and what each person brings to the table help them figure out what justice means. Justice in the eye of Socrates is not a simple answer or definition but there are many different components that factor in the create the best possible city which is justice.

Games themselves are not the product of violence, but rather, the people influenced by the games and the interaction of the game. Just as guns do not kill, but the people and their cruel intentions, violent video games are a source that lead to effective mur-der homicides, suicides and tragedies. This is an evident problem. Yet, the problem lies in the heart of man. Until this is solved, every seemingly positive aspect in the world is merely the de-velopment of entropy awaiting

In response to Thrasymachus, Glaucon, and Adeimantus, Socrates seeks to show that it is always in an individual’s interest to be just, rather than unjust. Thus, one of the most critical problems regarding the Republic is whether Socrates defends justice successfully or not. Socrates offers three arguments in favor of the just life over the unjust life: first, the just man is wise and good, and the unjust man is ignorant and bad; second, injustice produces internal disharmony which prevents effective actions; and lastly, virtue is excellence at a thing’s function and the just person lives a happier life than the unjust person, since he performs the various functions of the human soul well. Socrates is displeased with the argument because a sufficient explanation of justice is essential before reaching a conclusion as to whether or not the just life is better than the unjust life. He is asked to support justice for itself, not for the status that follows. He propositions to look for justice in the city first and then to continue by analogy to discover justice in the individual. This approach will allow for a distinct judgment on the question of whether the just person is happier than the unjust person. Socrates commences by exploring the roots of political life and constructs a hypothetical just city that gratifies only fundamental human necessities. Socrates argues

What is justice? In Plato’s Republic, this question is asked between Socrates and other conversationalists. In the beginning of this work, many different definitions of justice are debated. However, to provide clarity, Socrates proposes that, instead of discussing what justice is, they should apply the term holistically and try to imagine justice in an “ideal city.” From this, the city of Kallipolis was created.

In the Republic, the city-soul analogy serves as the starting point from which Plato builds the dialogue, and its implications phantasmically loom in the background of the work’s political and philosophical deliberations. At the end of Republic II, Socrates, in an effort to impugn Thrasymachus’ commendation of injustice, asserts that “a just soul and a just man will live well, and an unjust one badly.” (Republic 353e) Socrates therefore believes that the just live better lives than those who are unjust, and to demonstrate this to his main interlocutors he considers a city in which justice is applied. Socrates’ general approach is to draw out the fundamental concept of political justice, and, through the vehicle of the city-soul analogy, relate this

In Plato’s Republic, justice is often characterized as a just act resulting in a just outcome. Moderation is factored into this as well. Moderation allows for not just a being, but for a whole city to continue to function justly. The cardinal virtues that enable justice can also be the same for moderation. Justice and injustice are compared when running a city, but only the just city will cause perfect serenity between all three classes of people. Justice and moderation are distinctly similar but also exquisitely different. Plato distinctly outlines the makings for his just city. The blueprints left behind by Plato are crucial to understanding where justice and moderation factor in to cause a just city to function justly.

Plato's Republic describes precisely how he feels about society and what the true meaning of justice is within that society. Plato feels that a city can only function if each of pieces does its part and nothing else. He also thinks that a perfect society should run on a distinct social scale. This scale descends in the order from the philosopher kings to the guardians to the craftspeople. His ideal society would be run in the form of an aristocracy where the philosopher kings use the guardians to ultimately rule the lowly craftspeople. He deems that justice fits nicely into an aristocratic community. Plato does not believe, however, that a democratic society is beneficial or even has the

“the having and doing of one’s own and what belongs to one would be agreed to

Video games in today’s society have become very popular. Every new game that comes out to be played and conquered by the average gamer has its own category. There are several other types of genres of games that people play but because of big hit titles and the new popular game systems like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, people become more interested in a game that is well known than a game they have never even heard of before. Every game has its own storyline and own way of how it unfolds and where the game ends according to game play. Some of the biggest reasons people sway to certain genres of games is because of the game titles released under them and the demand of people who want a good game under that category. The top three most

1. Compare and contrast Nintendo’s marketing strategy for the Wii with Sony’s strategy for PS3.