The Republic - Plato

Topics: Books 1-4, 6 of The Republic by Plato; The Allegory of the Cave

What is the main argument of book 1 of The Republic?

Justice is not simply obedience to authority, it must benefit the soul and society

What does Cephalus argue about justice in book 1 of The Republic?

He argues that justice is telling the truth and repaying debts

What does Polemarchus argue about justice in book 1 of The Republic?

He argues that justice is helping friends and harming enemies

What does Thrasymachus argue about justice in book 1 of The Republic?

He argues that justice is the advantage of the stronger; rulers make laws to serve themselves

What does Socrates argue about justice in book 1 of The Republic?

He argues that justice is a virtue and leads to harmony, not self-interest or power

Who are the central characters in The Republic?

Socrates, Cephalus, Polemarchus, Thrasymachus, Glaucon, and Adeimantus

What do Glaucon and Adeimantus argue in book 2 of The Republic?

They argue that people are only just out of fear of punishment and that justice is a useful, but not inherently good, social contract

What story do Glaucon and Adeimantus present to support their argument in book 2 of The Republic?

The Ring of Gyges story → a man with invisibility would act unjustly without fear of consequence

How does Socrates respond to Glaucon and Adeimantus in book 2 of The Republic?

He examines justice in the city rather than in an individual (macro vs. micro) and begins building the ideal city, starting from simple concepts in a simple city, then building to a luxury one protected by warriors called guardians

How does Socrates say the guardian class should be educated in book 3 of The Republic?

He says that they should be taught only tales promoting virtue (omittance of poetry and stories) with music and gymnastics shaping the soul and body

What are the guardians described by Socrates in The Republic?

They are rulers of a city that are crucial for the peace, purity, and protection of the city → the guardians must be balanced between gentleness and toughness, which is achieved by being carefully educated

What traits does Socrates say are crucial for guardians in book 3 of The Republic?

Guardians must be philosophical, brave, disciplined, and loyal to the city

Why is the myth of metals proposed by Socrates in book 3 of The Republic?

It is a ‘useful fiction’ that can be told to citizens to justify social hierarchy and promote unity

What is the myth of metals described by Socrates in book 3 of The Republic?

The idea that citizens were born of the earth and their soul is mixed with a metal, either gold, silver, or bronze/iron → those with gold are most suited to rule, those with silver to be auxiliaries, and those with bronze/iron to be producers, and going against this metal will ruin the city

How does Socrates say guardians live in book 3 of The Republic?

He says they live communally, without private property or families

What key ideas are brought up in book 3 of The Republic?

The role of education in shaping citizens, the importance of censorship and myth-making for social harmony, and the idea of classes based on natural aptitude

What is the structure of the ideal city according to Socrates in book 4 of The Republic?

There are three classes: the rulers, auxiliaries, and producers

What virtues lie with which classes in book 4 of The Republic?

• Rulers/guardians → wisdom, knowledge of how the city should be run

• Auxiliaries → courage, they are the ones who must fight for the city

• Producers → moderation/justice, agreement over who should rule and cooperation for the good of the city (not just producers; spread over whole city)

How does Socrates define justice in the city in book 4 of The Republic?

Justice means each class doing its own work and not interfering with others

How does Socrates compare the city structure to the soul in book 4 of The Republic?

He says that, like the social structure of the city, there are three parts to the soul, and that justice within the soul, like justice in the city, means each part fulfilling its proper role, led by reason

What are the three parts of the soul described in book 4 of The Republic?

Reason, spirit, and appetite

What key ideas are brought up in book 4 of The Republic?

The idea that justice means internal harmony in both individuals and society as well as the general parallel between political order and psychological health

What is Socrates’ main argument in book 6 of The Republic?

His main argument is that only philosopher kings are fit to make up the rulers due to their love of truth, wisdom, and the Forms

Why does Socrates say non-philosophers cannot rule in book 6 of The Republic?

He says they are too driven by opinion rather than knowledge

How does Adeimantus argue against the idea of philosopher-kings and what is Socrates’ response in book 6 of The Republic?

Adeimantus argues that the philosophers he has known are useless or vicious → Socrates attributes to society, which:

• Leads true philosophers away from the field in hopes of making money or seeking glory

• Replaces natural philosophers who have left with vicious, unnatural philosophers

• Is antithetical to correct ideals, considering the few good philosophers useless

What is the simile of the ship in book 6 of The Republic?

There is a ship on which the ship owner is hard of hearing, has poor vision, and lacks seafaring skills, causing the sailors to quarrel over who should be captain → they use only force and tricks to get chosen as captain, with those failing in using the most force or best tricks being labelled useless

How does the simile of the ship mirror society in book 6 of The Republic?

If there were to be a man on the ship who had true navigation skills, he would be called a useless stargazer for his inability to keep up with the force and tricks used by the sailor → philosophers are the true captains and society is the crew

According to Socrates in book 6 of The Republic, what tests of guardians are crucial in choosing who is fit to be a ruler?

The test of who is the most loyal to the city as well as the test of who can tolerate the most important subject, the Form of the Good → understanding the Form of the Good gives the highest level of knowledge and ability to be a philosopher king

What is the Form of the Good according to Socrates in book 6 of The Republic?

It is not what is commonly held to be good, not pleasure, nor knowledge, it is ‘what is the offspring of the good and most like it’

What is the metaphor of the sun in book 6 of The Republic?

The sun is to the visible realm what the Good is to the intelligible realm (of the Forms) in three respects:

1. Sun is source of light/visibility in the visible realm → the Good is the source of intelligibility in intelligible realm

2. Sun is responsible for giving us sight → Good gives us capacity for knowledge

3. Sun is responsible for causing things to exist in visible realm (seasons, plants, etc.) → the Good is responsible for the existence of the Forms in the intelligible realm

What is the analogy of the line in book 6 of The Republic?

The line illustrates the ways of accessing the world, being broken into four grades of knowledge/opinion with the bottom segments being our access to the visible realm and the top two the intelligible:

• Lowest grade is imagination → considering images of real things, includes art

• Higher is belief → still in visible realm, but makes contact with real things with person here thinking that sensible particulars are most real things in world

• Next is thought → deals in Forms but uses sensible particulars as images to aid in reasoning, relies on hypotheses

• Highest in understanding → purely abstract science that deals exclusively with Forms, works with non-hypothetical first principle of Form of the Good

Individuals work up the line towards the Form of the Good, and upon reaching it you have hit a universal proposition and understand all Forms → highest stage of knowledge

What is the story of the allegory of the cave?

• A group of prisoners are chained in a dark cave from birth in which they can only face one wall and see shadows projected by objects passing in front of an unseen fire behind them

• One prisoner is freed and leaves the cave, where they begin to see real objects, the world, and the sun, prompting their realisation that the sun is the source of all light, life, and truth

• The freed prisoner returns to the cave to enlighten their fellow prisoners, but the remaining prisoners reject the truth, rejecting and ridiculing the freed prisoner

What does the allegory of the cave represent?

• The cave → world of appearances and ignorance

• Shadows → false beliefs and illusions believed solely based on sensory perception

• Freeing of prisoner → philosophical pursuit of knowledge and understanding

• Sun → Form of the Good as ultimate source of truth and reality

• Prisoner’s return → responsibility of philosophers to educate others, even when they resist