Plato's Political Philosophy

This study will consider the nature of Plato's political philosophy as expressed in The Republic. The study will argue, essentially, that Plato is not a democrat, that he is not in favor of widespread freedoms (speech, belief or vocation), and that he is fundamentally a nonegalitarian, not trusting the people enough to be strongly in favor of equality (political, socioeconomic, or of opportunity).

Plato is far more concerned with order and organization and a smooth-running and economically efficient society than with democracy. However, the Greeks to whom he expounded his views had come to be accustomed to a measure of democratic practice, so he had to sell what he really believed in a package which the people would believe contained something other than that which it truly contained.

In The Republic, Plato demonstrates his contempt for the people, for their freedoms and for their equality. The Republic is based on his argument that the society is simply the individual on a more grand scale. What holds for the individual, then, holds as well for the society. The order and harmony that bring man justice and rationality also bring the society justice and rationality. Clearly, anything that prevents a society being run according to Plato's rigid concept of order and harmony is unacceptable, and must be eliminated either by the kind of bullying "dialogue" Plato has "Socrates" perform for him, or, if need be, through the employment of the deception referred to as "the n

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uldn't you have a clear understanding of where you fit into society in terms of job, power, responsibility, freedom, instead of every day being uncertain of where you stood and having to find out for yourself? Plato leaves no doubt that he has contempt for democracy. He sees democracy as a kind of free-floating bazaar in which people do as they please, shop about for different ideas and ways of life, and live as "women and children when they see gaily coloured things" (375). It is clear that Plato is not a feminist. He is also not a democrat, and we can hear his sarcastic contempt for democracy dripping off each word of his description: "Then in democracy . . . there's no compulsion either to exercise authority if you are capable of it, or to submit to authority if you don't want to; you needn't fight if there's a war, or you can wage a private war in peacetime if you don't like peace; and if there's any law that debars you from political or judicial office, you will nonetheless take either if they come your way. It's a wonderfully pleasant way of carrying on in the short run, isn't it?" (376). The implication is that, in the long run, it will be disaster for the society and everybody in it. Only a woman or a child, says P

Category: Philosophy - P