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INTRODUCTION
Philosophy
Ancient Philosophy
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This article is for information and educational purposes only and is not
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Using Plato and his conception of the perfected state in order to compare in how his idea of state-citizen relations compares to how the state and the citizen exist today.
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INTRODUCTION
We will not be directly comparing our society with platos ideal. The task is relayed to the reader. It would seem to us the difference is so evident, that there really is no need to literally compare and contrast both societies. Rather, showing a more vivid example of what life would be like in plato's philosopher kingdom.
The fourth and fifth book of Plato’s Republic concentrates mainly in a Socratic dialogue between Socrates and Adeimantus. The conversation follows a traditional maieutic route in which Socrates educates Adeimantus on the best possible “State”. There is more in these books than just political discourse, but what is of importance to us is on how there is an emphasis on the microscopic aspects of society: individual happiness, and the role the citizen plays towards said society.
Infants in The Republic are born as a collective, being undifferentiated from each other. “That the wives of our guardians are to be common, and their children are to be common, and no parent is to know his own child, nor any child his parent.” (pg. 254, Book V). Not to say that there will be no parental figures, the traditional familial structure will still be in place; however, to ensure a more streamline control of the individual, the process of undifferentiation begins from the moment of birth, less the individual philosophies disrupt the stability and efficiency of the totality of the state. They are treated as the next generation of citizens with the teleological end of the complete betterment of society. Closer to perfection than their former generation, less perfect than the next. Children are bred from the best parents. As stated by Socrates:
[PLATO II]
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“The principle has been laid down that the best of either sex should be united with the best as often as possible, with the inferior as seldom as possible; and that they should rear the offspring of the one sort of union, but not of the other, if the flock is to be maintained in first rate condition.” (Book V, pg. 257).
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Officers, whose origin will be assumed to be from the auxiliary class (which we will discuss further) will, at birth, take the infants and separate them from their birth-mothers. Nursing them until an ge when they are capable of being differentiated into their respective social classes.
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On the question of masculinity and femininity, The Republic does not regard any real significant difference between either gender, without including the evident biological differences which define said genders in the first place. When referring to this issue Plato states that as dogs are divided into: he’s and she’s, both participating equally in hunting and in keeping watch; so to are humans both equally participating in all duties of the state. Given that both have the same nurture and education.
Whether or not the infant is born male or female is of no importance to the state, both destined to participate in their fullest for the improvement of the state.
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All children are thus brought up with the same education, concentrated in music, gymnastics and the art of war. Plato is very clear in determining the importance of the different natures. Whether the child is more attuned naturally at being a warrior, an artist, a worker, or an intellectual figure head will be essentially determined as he or she matures. As Socrates states:
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“[…] The male and female sex appear to differ in their fitness for any art or pursuit, we should say that such pursuit or art ought to be assigned to one or the other of them; but if the difference consists only in women bearing and men begetting children, this does not amount to proof that woman differs from man in respect of the sort of education she should receive; and we shall therefore continue to maintain that our guardians and wives ought to have the same pursuits.” (pg. 250, Book V).
[On late childhood]
Plato doesn’t go into much detail on the late aspects of childhood, rather, he gives an example referring to warfare and how a child should be introduced to such a thing. One can assume that, as with all aspects of education being transmitted to all children equally and gradually, so too should the more specific educative aspects of the varying natures and their occupations be taught to those close to adulthood. Using war as an example; a child which has a natural tendency towards agression, violence, bravery and/or athleticism, can be chossen gradually among his peers. Being slowly filtered into the many aspects of a combatants life, from arms and armor production to active battlefields, to daily life amongst other soldiers.
[On adulthood: Marriage]
It is up to the state to choose whether individuals are paired up towards the end of procreation. This is for Plato the reason why marriage exists. With religious and traditional practices taking a secondary role in the joining of men and women. The state will, in a secretive manner, choose which people are paired with which. As Socrates states:
“that our rulers will find a considerable amount of falsehood and deceit necessary for the good of their subjects…” (pg. 257, Book V).
For the citizens, the illusion of choice will be ever present. However, in a gradual matter, they will be guided into choosing those who share their natures. As stated before, all this done with the end of creating a better generation than the last.
The amount marriages will again be controlled by the guardians of The Republic (the ruling class of said society). Those who we’re born and bred to rule will evaluate, given the volatility of life, whether the population should rise or fall, and what will be the best way to regulate said population.
Ideally, a marriage will consist of citizens whose ages range from twenty to twenty-five years. This for Plato is the ideal age for women to bear children. For the men, the vital essence of life is most present. Marriages will produce children in this range as well. As for the those above or below the range, Socrates states:
“Any one above or below the prescribed ages who takes part in public hymeneals shall be said to have done an unholy and unrighteous thing…” (pg. 256, Book V). The child will be regarded as an “offspring of darkness and strange lust”.
Equally, this ostracization will apply to those children born out of a woman which in the prime of life without the proper authorization. Bastardy will be regarded not as an affair in the domain of adultery rather as a way of committing treason, an act of disloyalty towards the state, and by consequence its people.
Once the desired ages are passed, the couple may continue their life in union, with the condition that, if a child is begotten, the state will not support him (given that the state naturally auspices those children out of certified and consecrated marriages between the desired ages.
As for the guardian class, an exception will be made. As the traditional familial structure applies to both the auxiliary (protective/soldier class) and working classes, the highest class will be married as a collective, that is to say that wives and families are to be had in common. With the ideal of unity being the core foundation of The Republic. In the words of Plato (pg.261, book V):
“Can there be any greater evil than discord and distraction and plurality where unity ought to reign? or any greater good than the bond of unity?”
“And there is unity where there is community of pleasures and pains—where all the citizens are glad or grieved on the same occasions of joy and sorrow?”
[On late adulthood:]
Individuals are expected to participate in the fullest matter within the state. The Auxilary class is expected to behave as the main defensive force of the nation both within (by putting into action the rules created from Guardians) and without (by defending the nations borders). The Working class is expected to act as the main sustainers of the society, anything ranging from agricultural labor to artistry. Finally, the Guardians are expected to maintain the societal structure top-bottom, creating and updating laws controlling ,and maininting social life. It should be noted that the economics of the Republic are highly communal. Both the auxiliary and guardian classes are limited in terms of wealth, only getting what is neccessary to function as govermantal force from the lower classes. In turn, the lower class receives civilization, protection, justice and unity from the upper class, acting in a complete symbiotic manner.
“…our guardians may very likely be the happiest of men; but that our aim in founding the State was not the disproportionate happiness of any one class, but the greatest happiness of the whole; we thought that in a State which is ordered with a view to the good of the whole we should be most likely to find justice, and in the ill-ordered State injustice: and, having found them, we might then decide which of the two is the happier.” (Book IV, pg. 275).
Admitting that while the happiness of an individual is an admirable goal, one should not be fooled into believing that universal bliss should be in any way beneficial to the whole of society. Whether or not a specific sector of society is happy or not is far less important when compared to the question of: “Is society just?
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KEYWORDS
The following keywords are alternate terms which can be used to access this page.
plato, the republic, the world of ideas, facism, society, philosophy
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SEE ALSO
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REFERENCES
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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