Notes On The Republic
Notes On The Republic
The Republic
Plato
(Book I) Part One - Introduction
1. Prelude
• A discussion concerning Cephalus (Polemarchus' father)'s wealth turns to one
concerning the definition of right/wrong
• Cephalus suggests that right is truthfulness and repayment of debt
• Socrates points out that these actions can sometimes be right but sometimes wrong
• Socrates then turns to Thrasymachus' statement that the unjust man is better than the
just
• It is established that the unjust man (who, according to T, is good and wise) competes
with both the just and the unjust (like and unlike) whilst the just man competes only with
the unjust (unlike)
• Socrates gives examples to show that intelligent professionals (wise men) compete only
with the unlike (those of different profession/skill)
• He concludes that the man who is wise (and therefore good) will compete with his
opposite, whilst the ignorant man (bad) will compete with opposite and like
• As previously shown, the unjust man competes with opposite and like, making him
analogous to the bad and ignorant man
• Against the claim that injustice is stronger than justice Socrates argues that the injust
man, if completely so, would be incapable of working with anyone to achieve anything for
he would be in competition with everyone, including the Gods
• To show that the just man is happier than the unjust Socrates explains, firstly, that the
function off a thing is that which it does best, or is best done by/with it, and, furthermore,
that a thing with a function has a particular excellence without which it could not perform
its function
• He then argues that life is a function of the mind, so that a mind with no particular
excellence leads a bad life
• The just mind is one with particular excellence and therefore the just man leads a good
and happy life and the injust man the reverse
(Book II) 4. Adeimantus and Glaucon Restate the Case for Injustice
i. GLAUCON ARGUES THAT JUSTICE IS MERELY A MATTER OF CONVENIENCE
• Glaucon describes the origin of justice as an intermediate between what is most
desirable (to do wrong and avoid punichment) and least desirable (to suffer wrong and
be unable to rectify/retaliate)
• Justice is not good in itself but in respect to the fact that it avoids punishment and
wrongness
• Glaucon argues that the just man is only so for fear of being punished - if he were able
to act injustly and was guaranteed not to be caught, he would do so. "no man is just of
his own free will, but only under compulsion"
• In extreme forms, the unjust man is described as being able to commit the worst crimes
whilst avoiding detection and appearing to be just, whilst the just man is the opposite, i.e.
has the worst reputation but does no wrong (modest)
• It is clear from this that the unjust man has a happier life as he enjoys the benefits of his
wrongdoing whilst avoiding punishment, whereas the just man is punished for wrongs he
has not done and is therefore unhappy
2. Physical Education
• Physical excellence does not produce a good mind and character but excellence of the
latter will produce the former
• Drunkenness is forbidden
• Luxurious food and excessive exercise produce disease
• Simplicity produces health of body i.e. simple food and training
• A good doctor must have knowledge of medical science and also a great deal of
experience with disease and illness
• Only those who give useful contributions to society should be cured/treated
• Anyone whose illness interrupts their ability to work should be left to die since treatment
will only prolong an unhappy life and produce unhealthy children
• A good judge should be an old man who has acquired a knowledge (but no personal
experience) of evil in later life
• Excessive exercise produces an uncivilized character whilst insufficient exercise
produces a weak character
• A balance must therefore be provided between education of the intellect and of the body
4. Conclusion
• There is one form of goodness but infinite forms of wickedness (4 main)
• As many types of character as forms of political constitution (5)
(Book V) • Monarchy/aristocracy (as described) = good and true
• All other social organisations = bad and defective
Part Six - Women and the Family
1. The Status of Women
• Women are not restricted to only bearing and rearing children for they have the same
natural capabilities as men, where it is relevant
• Women are therefore able to participate in the same occupations as men, though women
will always be weaker
• They have the same chance as men at becoming Guardians so long as they are
educated accordingly
• They will have the same duties as men only lighter
iiiii. HARMONICS
• As astronomy is the finding of numerical relationships between the visible, so harmonics
is of the audible
• All studies are directed towards discovering goodness and truth not usefulness
3. Dialectic
• Mathematical study is a preliminary to dialectic - the ability to argue logically
• Only the power of dialectic can reveal certainty - it determines what each thing is in itself
• Enables questions to be asked and answered with the highest degree of understanding
• The ʻideal stateʼ can therefore be formed when political power is held by true
philosophers
• The next step would be to remove all children over the age of ten from their parents and
use them as the beginning of the state, raising them as previously described
2. Timarchy
• Civil strife within the ruling class of the state causes change
• Iron and bronze classes want private property and profit, silver and gold want excellence
and order
• Land and houses are distributed for private ownership and Guardians devote themselves
to war and subjugating the population, instead of protecting them
• There will still be respect for authority and due attention given to physical and military
training
• There will also be “a fear of admitting intelligent people to office”, preferring those who
rather war than peace
• A love of money will also emerge causing ambition and competitive spirit
4. Oligarchy
• Private wealth accumulates, destroying timarchy
• Wealth becomes valued more than goodness, the wealthy gain control and the status of
the good/poor men diminishes
• Legislation is introduced which states a minimum amount of property that is required by
men to qualify for office
• Creates rivalry between rich and poor
• Unwilling to wage war due to expenses and lack of trained soldiers
• Existence of men in society without function
• Emergence of thieves and other criminals
8. Tyranny
• Excessive desire for and pursuit of liberty in democracy leads to tyranny
• Respect for fathers is lost as children assert independence and freedom
• Any form of restraint is detested causing disregard for all laws
• Conflict between rich and poor leads to election of single leader
• He is kind, frees debtors, distributes land and makes promises
• After disposing of enemies he fears he will no longer be needed so provokes war
• Increases taxes to pay for war and ensure people work hard to earn money rather than
plotting against him
• Becoming unpopular, he must dispose of those who oppose or disobey him in order to
stay in power
iiii. THE TYRANT IS 729x MORE UNHAPPY THAN THE PHILOSOPHER KING
• The tyrant is 3x unhappier than the oligarch
• The oligarch is 3x unhappier than the philosopher (aristocrat)
• The tyrants phantom pleasure is therefore 3x3 (9)
• Cube this (9x9x9)
• The difference in pleasure between the tyrant and the philosopher king is 729
11. Conclusion
• Injustice is therefore wrong
• “whether you look to pleasure or profit or reputation, to praise justice is to tell the truth”
• Imagine a many-headed beast and a lion within a man; to be injust is to serve the many-
headed beast and become less human, to be just is to control the lion and beast within
and remain strong and pure
• Goodness brings its own rewards
Part Ten - Theory of Art
(Book X) 1. Art and Illusion
• Dramatic representation in poetry harms the mind
• There are many particulars but only one form
• A craftsman makes a particular based on the form
• An artist creates a representation of a particular object
• So the representation is “at third remove” from reality
• Artists are able to reproduce everything because of their lack of understanding of their
subjects; if he really understood them he would devote himself to the true objects and
not to their representations
• Therefore representation has no serious value as it contains neither knowledge nor
correct opinion about how good or bad its subject is
Part Eleven - The Immortality of the Soul and the Rewards of Goodness
1. The Soul Immortal
• That which harms/destroys is evil, preserves/benefits is good
• Most things are subjected to their own particular good/evil e.g. body - disease, iron - rust
• The aim of evil is first to flaw a thing and then to destroy it completely
• Anything whose evil cannot destroy it is indestructible
• Injustice/wickedness is the evil of the soul
• The souls evil, whilst admittedly tainting the soul, cannot destroy it, for the aim of
wickedness is to kill others not itself
• If the soul cannot be destroyed by the evil adapted to destroy it, neither can it be
destroyed by other evils, therefore it is immortal
2. The Rewards of Goodness in this Life
• The justice or injustice of a mans character cannot be hidden from the gods
• The gods will hate the injust man and love the just
• The just man will be blessed in heaven, regardless of any apparent misfortune, the
opposite fate awaits the injust man
• Among men, the just man will have greater opportunity; he will hold authoritative
positions, marry whom he wishes etc
• The injust man, though he may get away with his injustice while he is young, will be
humiliated in old age and held in contempt
3. The Myth of Er
• Er was a brave soldier who was killed in battle but came alive again on the twelfth day to
tell of what he witnessed in the other world
• Each man who has sinned suffers ten times the amount of suffering he inflicted and
those who have done good are rewarded tenfold
• After retribution each soul chooses his next life, which is why it is important to pursue
true knowledge so that, faced with this choice we can chose the better life over the
worse
• The souls then drink from the Forgetful River before being sent back to earth for their
birth