Socrates

Plato

What kind of world do you want to live in?

If you were guaranteed that no one will find out, would you cheat?

What if there is a world where no one cheats?

Republic

Perfectly just, perfectly communal, perfectly rational society

Peloponnesian war

 Democrats, Aristocrats, Dictators, and again Democracy Disappointed with the public and political ideals Corruption, brutality and blind ambition Ideal society, Immortality of the soul and origin of the world. Time is the moving image of eternity Athens, Corinth, Sicily, Athens In Syracuse, Plato became the adviser of Dionysius II Dialogues

 Human soul is like a chariot run by black and white horses. The beginning of the good and evil of man. Holding back the black horse is like impeding that which is evil. The soul is then enabled to transcend or rise, like god.

 Socrates was brought to trial for undermining the system Socrates was sentenced to drink a hemlock for not believing to the gods and corrupting the youth. Will be pardoned if he will stop asking people, yet he said an unexamined life is not worth living. The soul is immortal and, after his death, it will be unharmed

 Philosopher king
Wisdom not power should rule Until the philosophers become kings and kings becomes philosophers, or where wisdom and power meets, our city will never rest from its evilness.

 Society is but a soul enlarged

Each of us is made up of three parts
Rational Emotional Appetitive

Reason and Honor should rule

 Color codes
Bronze
Workers, merchants, artisans

Silver
Police and soldiers

Gold
Philosopher king

 Social hierarchy
Will be determined by intelligence Plato doesnt want rulers to fight over personal relationship and money, so he didnt give them any. Eternal bonding is forbidden Those who have cant rule, those who rule cannot have The whole course of life depend on education

Censorship.
Any poet who writes politically incorrect poems should be banished from the kingdom. The people might not be able to separate reality from fantasy.

Should certain music or art be banned?

Theory of Forms

Allegory of the Cave

Allegory of the cave

 Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets.

 And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?

 And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him?

 And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he 's forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities.

 He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?

 Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is.

 He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold?

And if they were in the habit of conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honors and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer, Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner?

 And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death.

 This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed.

Hitler a Platonist?

Freedom vs. Security

Democracy

Freedom under the rule of law

People are born not equal

Courage Wisdom Compassion Moderation

 Reason, Honor and passion Id, Ego and Superego

 Philosopher King
Votes and set of laws

Aristotle

On the Nature of Polity

Political Association Slavery On Paternal Rule On Citizenship On Constitution Best Form of Polity Law War

Political Association
Household Village Polis

Political Association
Household
The first and most elementary association Political unit composed of male and female, master and slave Familial and domestic

Political Association
Village
An offshoot from a family unit Collection of family

Political Association
Polis
Association of villages where it reaches a certain height of independence or self sufficiency It does not exist for mere life but also for the sake of good life A society is formed Prior to the order of the nature of family and individuals That which is necessary is prior to its parts

Slavery
It is a natural phenomenon It signifies article of property He associates slavery to signify article of property, subordinate servants, animate instruments and inanimate instruments for use. Useful Lower than freemen An animate instrument needed for the achievement of good life

Slavery
Three circumstances to qualify as a slave
Anybody who by his own nature is not his own. Anybody who being a man is an article of property is anothers man An article of property is intended for the purpose of action and superable from its action and its possession.

Slavery
Two forms of slavery
By nature By convention

On Paternal Rule
Male is naturally fitter to command than female except when there is departure from nature such as perversion The older is fitter to command the youth and immature

On Paternal Rule
Have some specific functions or duties Who are contributing and useful to the state Contributive and participative Preserves the existence of state Shares in the administration of justice and holding of office, shares in the administration of rights, justice and office

On Paternal Rule
State
a body of such persons adequate in number for achieving a self sufficient existence

Good ruler
Consisting of knowledge to rule man Not a liability Does not become a burden Make the state progressible

On Constitution
Constructed on the principle that its members are equal Those constitutions that considers the common interest are good Judge by the standard of absolute justice

On Constitution
Organizations Number One Few Many Nature (Good Form) Kingship/ Monarchy Aristocracy Polity (Genuine Democracy) Perversion (Evil Form) Tyranny Oligarchy Democracy (Mobocracy)

Best Form of Polity

Midpoint or mean between oligarchy and democracy for it is in this class that moderated, law abiding, not envious, envied, able both to command and to be obeyed that will afford the state the necessary situation of stability.

Best Form of Polity

Stable in middle Middle class should be of greater number (very few rich men and poor) to avoid greater suppression and oppression Power is vested in the middle class.

Law
Contains no element of passion though present in the human mind Reason is free from all passions Once you execute a law your passion is set aside that makes the execution ineffective. There should be a rotation in the office.

On War
Class war is a human desire for equality or inequality

On War
1. 2. 3. 4. Spy on the activities of the citizen. Taking away their power. Waging war in case of a need of a ruler Humble the people spiritually, for broken will cannot conspire. 5. Arrogate power to be strong, and concentrated into his hands. 6. Pretend a case of public revenge.

On War
7. You befriend strong people to appear dignified 8. Maintain a character of a great soldier. 9. Avoid offending against the modesty of the young 10. Check the women in their function. 11. If a ruler indulges in pleasure he should not at least parade his vice before others. 12. He must adorn and improve the city in appearance especially earnest in performance of his religious duties. 13. No real way to kill the spirit of freedom of man.