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Essay on Plato's the Republic
The Republic is a philosophic effort written by Plato in the structure of a dialogue, an inquest into the temperament of justice and the association of an ideal society. It is Plato's explanation and understanding of Socrates’ ideas about existence, connotation, and the just society. This text has aggravated and fashioned thought for thousands of years and is as applicable now as it ever was. The work is a lengthy exposition of the ideas underlying Plato's earlier dialogues and is an attempt to unite rational, ethical, and religious principles. According to Socrates, the principal speaker in The Republic, an ideal state would consist of three classes.
The philosopher-kings would exercise political power in the service of justice and wisdom; the soldiers would protect the state as a means of acquiring honor; and the civilian population would provide for the material needs of society. A large part of The Republic is devoted to a detailed presentation of the rigorous intellectual training of future rulers. The government of the state acts to enforce the virtue, and therefore the true joy, of the individual citizen, and an orderly and productive public life is the result. Criticizing the doctrines of atheism and materialism, Plato reaffirmed his idealistic position and asserted his belief in the moral government of the world and the immortality of the spirit.( Allen)
Plato spends a huge pact of time outlining his mental picture of a society in which man's haughty and aggressive temperament is not capable to root itself into the government of the city, thus creating a completely just and good society. Yet, even Plato realized that because of the inevitable influence of man's lust for power, no society could retain a perfectly just government forever. He believes that too much wealth will inspire greed and selfishness in the guardians, rendering them unable to rule without bias....
