Taylor on Plato's totalitarianism ~ slide 1 Taylor on Plato’s totalitarianism zTaylor, C.C.W. “Plato’s Totalitarianism.” In Plato 2: Ethics, Politics, Religion, and the Soul. Ed. Gail Fine. NY: Oxford University Press, zKarl Popper (b. Austria, New Zealand, England, ) leveled a famous attack on Plato in his The Open Society and its Enemies (1945). â Plato’s Republic is a totalitarian state & Plato is the root of totalitarianism in the West.

Taylor on Plato's totalitarianism ~ slide 2 Taylor on Plato’s totalitarianism yAll political decisions are made by the rulers alone yThe rulers are not elected yThe power of the rulers is absolute yThe rulers use deceit & censorship yThe individual is completely subject to the state (“The individual is nothing but a cog” [in the state machine]); individuality is suppressed for the common good.

Taylor on Plato's totalitarianism ~ slide 3 Taylor on Plato’s totalitarianism zTaylor: This broadside assault on Plato’s Republic is a bit to simplistic. There are different types of totalitarianism. âT1 (Orwellian) yIndividual well-being is completely subordinated to the interests of the state; individuals only have instrumental value

Taylor on Plato's totalitarianism ~ slide 4 Taylor on Plato’s totalitarianism yThe well-being of the state is defined in terms of power, prestige, & security yE.g.s - Orwell’s Oceania & Nazi Germany âT2 (organic) yThe well-being of the individual is defined in terms of the individual’s contribution to the state

Taylor on Plato's totalitarianism ~ slide 5 Taylor on Plato’s totalitarianism yThe individual is part of an organic unity & accordingly the happiness & well-being of the individual is important. yThe good of the individual and of the state are assumed to be the same.

Taylor on Plato's totalitarianism ~ slide 6 Taylor on Plato’s totalitarianism âT3 (paternalistic) yThe good of the individual is ultimately valuable & that of the state derivative. yThe function of the state is to promote the well-being of its citizens. yDenies that individual autonomy is important for human happiness & well- being.

Taylor on Plato's totalitarianism ~ slide 7 Taylor on Plato’s totalitarianism yAssumes that an elite group knows what is good for themselves & for all citizens. yIs individualist in the sense that it give primacy to the good of individuals; but it is opposed to individualism in its denial of political freedom, self-expression, & self- determination. yIs a form of paternalism

Taylor on Plato's totalitarianism ~ slide 8 Taylor on Plato’s totalitarianism zWhere does Plato’s Republic fit? âPopper puts it in T1. âTaylor rejects this yJustice for the individual is a form of psychic harmony & this is for the good of the individual (287). yPlato expresses concern about the happiness of the guardians & rulers (response to Adeimantus’s objection)

Taylor on Plato's totalitarianism ~ slide 9 Taylor on Plato’s totalitarianism yPlato repeatedly expresses concern for the well-being of the entire polis, the whole community & the goal of the polis is for its citizens to achieve eudaimonia (290). yBut for Plato, individuals are not capable of deciding their own eudaimonia. They need to be guided by the guardians (rulers).

Taylor on Plato's totalitarianism ~ slide 10 Taylor on Plato’s totalitarianism yThus the need for a ruling elite to organize society so that it is directed to the good. ySo Plato’s system is highly paternalistic. äWhat’s wrong with paternalism? âSo to which of the forms of totalitarianism does Plato’s Republic belong?