Plato's Explanation of an Ideal State in his Work, The Republic

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

Now let us take a look into the background of the story. Plato gives his ideals on a perfect society and everything it should include. He basically implies that justice is rightness, and rightness is whatever he feels it should be. He breaks society down into guardians, wage earners, and auxiliaries. Wage earners are people such as surgeons or shoemakers.

The producers are the craftsmen, farmers etc.; the auxiliaries are the warriors/soldiers; and the guardians are the rulers. This hierarchy places the rulers at the top of the food chain followed by the auxiliaries with the producers at the bottom. In this society, each group is required to perform is appropriate function and only that function. It is the rulers’ job to rule, the auxiliaries uphold the convictions of the rulers, and the producers are to limit themselves to exercising their natural skills. Plato argues that state justice requires each individual it conform to the societal role they have been given and not to interfere with any other business.

In The Republic by Plato, Plato constructed an ideal city where Philosophers would rule. Governed by an aristocratic form of government, it took away some of the most basic rights a normal citizen should deserve, freedom of choice, worship, and assembly were distressed. Though the idea of philosopher kings is good on paper, fundamental flaws of the human kind even described by Plato himself prevent it from being truly successful. The idea of an ideal democratic government like what our founding fathers had envisioned is the most successful and best political form which will ensure individual freedom and keep power struggle to a minimum.

In the Myth of the Metals, people are born with gold, silver, or bronze. These metals determine the role each individual will carry out in their state; gold being guardian or governing body, silver being auxiliary or soldier, and bronze being the working class. Because Plato believes everyone is different in nature, it serves as the justification for the Myth of the Metals where the essential parts of society are assigned to individuals at birth. By placing individuals to their highest natural aptitude (guardian, soldier, and worker) they are able to reach human potential and represent the ideal state. This, Plato suggests, is the philosopher’s best method of prescribing a common belief structure within the cave, and more importantly the royal lie to communicate with the non-philosopher.

In Plato’s Ideal State, justice is essentially equality. Any factor that might cause a difference among human beings is eliminated in his Ideal State. When everyone is the same as others in all respects, justice is equality.

“God mixed gold in the composition of those of you who are qualified to govern; in those fitted to be guardians he mixed silver; and in the farmers and artisans he mixed baser metals” (Plato 1). Philosopher and author of The Republic, Plato classified men and women based on three categories. These categories were separated by working classes--workers were in the baser metal category, soldier-guardians were in the silver category, and the elite philosopher-rulers were in the gold category. Also, Plato stated that to be a man of gold, one must possess the traits of wisdom, courage, and self-control. Pericles, a vital factor in Athenian’s success during the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, was placed into said gold category due to his ability to lead and possession of these traits. Furthermore, Plato declared that when a city was under the leadership of one in the baser metal category, the city would decline. Creon, an unsuccessful ruler, would fit into the baser metal category as Thebes of Ancient Greece perished under his command. Plato’s definition of a just leader, one who exhibits the traits of wisdom, courage, and self-control, did wholly apply to Pericles, whereas Creon did not have the traits of wisdom and self-control, although possessing the trait of courage.

Plato's view of Justice can be seen in his model of The Tripartite Soul. In this model Plato outlines 3 sectors of his ideal society. This theoretical society is composed of Guardians, Auxiliaries, and Producers. The Guardians were the upper class citizens who had the authority to pass judgment. Guardians were rational and wise, and could participate and become involved in politics. The Auxiliaries were positioned as courageous citizens who helped preserve the spirit and emotion of a society by "protecting and serving" much like a modern day public works department or police and fire squad. In the lowest tier of Plato's ideal society were the Producers, whose job it was to create. The Producers were to use temperance in their lives, for they were classified as appetitive souls who could easily succumb to bodily desires. The Producers were to practice asceticism, which is the eradication of bodily desires.

Plato continues to relate the categories of a just state to the individual soul. He says that the soul has different parts to it as well and for them to be in harmony is for

In Books VI and VII of the The Republic, Plato uses the four analogies to represent his theory of justice in the ideal state. The four analogies include the ship, the sun, the divided line, and the cave. The analogies of the ship, and the cave are used by Plato to represent the people of the state and proving his argument that philosophers are the true rulers of the state. The divided line and the sun analogies also supports Plato’s point about philosophers obtaining intellectual knowledge apposed to the ordinary citizens who only have sensible knowledge. Plato argues that the ordinary citizens can be educated but will never reach the level of knowledge that the philosophers have. Plato’s points, although supported by the four analogies

In Plato’s The Republic, Plato uses a central story, the myth of the three metals, to illustrate his ideas as a whole. The myth of the three metals is based off of the story that Mother Nature invented all human beings and created these human beings by utilizing different metals. The three metals utilized were gold, silver, iron or bronze. From these metals, each person was born into the role they would presume in society. Gold represents the guardians, who are governed by reason, making them suitable to rule. Silver depicts the auxiliaries, who are guided by spirit, predisposing them to be guards. The final metals are iron or bronze, which share the same traits. Iron or bronze displays the farmers and other craftsmen, who are led by their appetites, creating the physical laborers in the society. Plato believes that the myth of three metals will create the perfectly ideal society, that also allows people to realize what being just means. Work on thesis statement

In the allegory Socrates gives an account of a man that breaks free from his bonds and makes his way out of the darkness into the outside world. His story represents a man's journey to enlightenment. To reach enlightenment a man must use education to break the bonds of ignorance and direct his sight towards true things that originate from the "Form of Good." Man already has the capacity to see, he only needs guidance. Guidance is the job of the philosopher kings. After these kings have reached enlightenment it is their duty to travel back into the cave and educate some of the ignorant masses.

Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" is a story that conveys his theory of how we come to know, or how we attain true knowledge. It is also an introduction into his metaphysical and ethical system. In short, it is a symbolic explanation of his "Theory of the Forms" (or eidos).

Plato treats his republic as a means of demonstrating that there is a certain way for all people

Plato recognizes that knowledge and understanding of the Forms is of momentous value, because they are pre-eminent and transcendent goods. Possession of the Forms, in a sense that does not imply ownership, is the product of reason — visualised as the most worthwhile attribute of the human soul — and it is this possession which leads to human happiness. A happiness shared by all of those who arrive at a true realisation of the Forms, through the supremacy and superiority of human reason [12]. For Plato, an action is approved of not simply because it is preferred by reason, but because reason will prefer it when reason has succeeded in apprehending the Good, and applying that apprehension to the task of choosing actions [13].