THE RULE OF REASON

Prepared by Mr. Roland Lorenzo M. Ruben

Philosophy section, SSD
De La Salle University-Dasmarias
(427-347 BC)
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
(Greek: , Pltn, "wide, broad-
shouldered") Greek philosopher born
to an aristocratic family in Athens.
Orphaned as a child, Perictione,
his mother married Pyrilampes
(an associate of Pericles).
A disciple of Socrates, he
witnessed the death of his
teacher in 399 BC.
(428-347 BCE)
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
Left Athens and traveled to Italy,
Sicily, Egypt, India.
Made two trips to Sicily: 367 &
361: to tutor Dionysius the
Younger, in the art of
philosophical rule.
In 387, Plato founded the
Academy in Athens
Intended to be a training
ground for young men from all
over Greece
(428-347 BCE)
The Academy in Athens in 387, first European university:
astronomy, biology, math, political theory, philosophy.
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
Concluding years spent
lecturing at the Academy.
Died at 80 in Athens in 348 or
347 BC.
(428-347 BCE)
METAPHYSICAL
BACKGROUND
According to this theory, ultimate reality is a realm of
forms (essences) not accessible to the senses but only to
the mind (intellect). He calls that level of reality the
intelligible realm (because it is accessible only to the
intellect). The perceptible world (i.e., the world we
perceive through our senses) is a reflection or copy of
that higher intelligible world.
METAPHYSICAL
BACKGROUND
ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE
The myth of the cave describes individuals
chained deep within the recesses of a cave.
Bound so that vision is restricted, they
cant see one another. The only thing
visible is the wall of the cave upon which
appear shadows cast by models or statues
of animals and objects that are passed
before a brightly burning fire.
THEORY OF HUMAN NATURE
Continue with discussion Slide 8
THEORY OF HUMAN
NATURE
Man is a reflection of the duality of the
sensible and ideal worlds
Body & Soul:
Body: 4 elements: earth, water, air, fire
Soul: 3 levels: Reason, Spirit, Appetite
Man is his soul: There was a time
when the soul was not bonded to the
body, man is thought to be originally
part of the Eternal One.
But his birth into his earthly and
material existence tainted, and made
him forget about, his divine past.

reason
spirit
appetite
Tripartite structure of the soul
- Reason = rational or moral
judgment
- Spirit = emotion
- Appetite = bodily
desires/physical urges

We are ineradicably social: to
live in society is natural to
human beings.

World of
Idea
Fall
RECOLLECTION
ANAMNESIS
World of the
Senses
After the fall, soul was exiled, imprisoned in the body.
Material world is only a shadowy reflection of the world of Forms;
knowledge is a recollection, reminiscence of the Forms -
s
Freedom: souls departure from the body towards the world of Forms:
union with the Ideal Beauty and Good itself.
DIAGNOSIS
Reason, Sprit and Appetite are
present to some degree in every
person.
Reason ought to control both Spirit
and Appetite; each has its proper role
to play, there should ideally be
harmonious agreement among the
three aspects of our nature.
Depending on which element is
dominant, there are three kinds of
people whose main desire is
knowledge, reputation or material
gain.
World of the Senses
1. REASON (knowledge: philosophic)
Governing (Rulers or Guardians) those who
are intelligent, rational, self-controlled, in love with
wisdom, well suited to make decisions for the
community. These correspond to the "reason" part of
the soul and are very few.
King Solomon
Mahatma Gandhi
2. SPIRIT (reputation: victory-loving)
Protective (Warriors or Auxiliaries) those who are
adventurous, strong and brave; in the armed forces. These
correspond to the "spirit" part of the soul.
Productive (Workers) the labourers, carpenters,
plumbers, masons, merchants, farmers, ranchers,
etc. These correspond to the "appetite" part of the
soul.

3. APPETITE (material gain: profit-loving)
A well-ordered, just society is one in which
each class or person plays a distinctive
role, in harmony with other classes

The problems of human individuals are
intimately related to the defects in human
societies = interdependent
An imperfect society tends to produce
flawed individuals, and troubled or poorly
educated individuals contribute to social
problems.
Plato, through the words of Socrates, asserts that
societies have a tripartite class structure corresponding
to the appetite/spirit/reason structure of the individual
soul.
TRIPARTITE CLASS STRUCTURE
1. Aristocracy
The Ancient Greek term meant a system of
government with "rule by the best". This is the first
definition given in most dictionaries. The word is
derived from two words, "aristos" meaning the
"best" and "kratein" "to rule".
Aristocracy = ideal society ruled by a philosopher-
king; the ideal state: 3 classes:
merchant class: economic structure of the state;
temperance
military class: security needs; courage
philosopher-kings: political leadership; wisdom

What do you think of the following
statements by Plato (Socrates)?
The best possible
political system (state) will
be ruled (governed) by
PHILOSOPHERS!
(Is he kidding?)
The best rulers of the state are those who know the Good,
who dont look to politics for their happiness, & who live a
higher life than the political life.
Political power should be held by those who do not want
it.
2. Timarchy
= honor and fame
are valued above
all (spirit)
The word derives from the
Greek words timo-, meaning
"honour" or "worth", and -
kratia meaning "rule" (as in
government).
3. Oligarchy
(Greek , Oligarkha) is a form of government
where political power effectively rests with a
small, elite segment of society (typically the most
powerful, whether by wealth, family, military strength, or
political influence). The word oligarchy is from the Greek
words for "few" ( fligon) and "rule" ( arcgekho)
= rule of the few.

= money-making become the dominant activity,
political power reside with the wealthy
4. Democracy
(literally "rule by the people", from the Greek demos,
"people," and kratos, "rule") is a form of government for a
nation state, or for an organization in which all the
citizens have an equal vote or voice in shaping
policy or electing government officials.
it is absurd to give every person an equal
say; the person lacks discipline, pursues mere pleasures of
the moment, indulging unnecessary, spendthrift desires.
5. Tyranny
A tyrant (Latin tyrannus, from Greek
trannos) possesses absolute power
through the people in a state or in an
organization.
In ancient Greece, tyrants were generally
aristocrats who had gained power over the
others by getting the support of the poor people
by giving them land, freeing them from slavery,
etc.
the person is dominated by his own appetites,
especially sexual desires ; Money-making,
pleasure-seeking, lust-dominated
people are unhappy!
Idi Amin
PRESCRIPTION


JUSTICE: the just state is one in which each class
performs its own function well without infringing on the
activities of the other classes while the just man is the one in
whom the rational element, supported by the will, controls
the appetites. HARMONY (injustice is lack of it)
EDUCATION: the
most important way to
produce virtuous,
harmonious, well-
balanced, just
people: not just formal
schooling but all the
social influences on
ones development
paideia
Training of
the whole
person:
- Sports
- Poetry
- Music
Can a really just (or at least
approximately just) political
system exist? What would make it
possible?
(It is the separation of
philosophy & political
power.)
And this leads to . . . .
Paraguay President Fernando Lugo
unless political power & philosophy
are brought together & those who now
pursue either the one or the other
exclusively are prevented from doing so --
neither our political problems nor our
human troubles in general can be ended
. . . .
From the elite:
Produce philosopher-kings (Guardians): intellectual studies
(mathematics, philosophy, etc) = only such lovers of wisdom
and truth would be impervious to the usual temptations to
misuse power; they value more happiness of a right and rational
life.
From the non-elite:
the Auxiliaries = soldiers, police and civil servants; they
would put the directions of the Guardians into effect.
the workers of all kinds = farmers, craftsmen, traders,
and all those who produce and distribute the material
necessities of life.
CRITICAL DISCUSSION
He seems more concerned with the harmony and
stability of the whole society than the well-being
of the individuals in it
His Republic has a directly authoritarian,
totalitarian character
He dismisses democratic constitutions rather
unfairly
He endorses democracy for all its imperfections
as the best kind of constitution, given human
nature as it is (Stateman, Laws)
What will I be when I grow up?
THE RULE OF
REASON
(427-347 BC)