Plato’s Republic Books 1 and 2

Overview I.Nature vs Convention II.The City in Speech III.The Division of Labor & the Critique of Democracy IV.The Noble Lie

Review & Recap What do we learn from Book I? – Learn that people disagree about the meaning of justice – Learn need to discover how it is we can know the meaning of justice

Review & Recap Recall different characters & their understanding of justice – a.Cephalus’ – b.Polemarchus’ – c.Thracymachus’ Socrates’ plan? Ask questions... why?

Review & Recap Dialectic allows us to disassociate ourselves from our own opinions and opinions of City – Subject everything to scrutiny to ensure that we believe “X” because it is the correct belief, and not that it’s the correct belief because we believe it

The Dialectic Position 1Position 2Position 3 Questioning Note, this is the only way to proceed that requires us to submit to nothing besides the rules of logic

Review and Recap Glaucon’s Question If we only have one life, then why not go for the gusto?

I.Nature vs. Convention: Telos Teleology – Come into the world with potentiality (telos) – Need to fulfill our nature – Good then determined by extent to which we fulfill that potential – Can always ask whether something (“X”) exists by convention or by nature

I.Nature vs. Convention: Telos – What is nature -- end -- of man? – Value of the city is that it allows for the full development of individual potentialities -- not that it secures some “common good” – Without the city, none of us could reach our full human potential

I.Nature vs. Convention: Virtue Virtue: That which allows something to perform its function/fulfill potentiality

I.Nature vs. Convention: Virtue Four Basic Human Virtues: Wisdom Moderation Courage Justice

I.Nature vs. Convention: Virtue Note, Plato is not saying that we all will lead this life, but we all come equipped to lead this life, it is in our nature. Each of us must decide to fulfill this nature

I.Nature vs. Convention: Glaucon’s Question Revisited Glaucon is asking is the just life a life which corresponds to my nature? Or another way of asking, is justice simply a tacit agreement for self-preservation

I.Nature vs. Convention: Glaucon’s Question Revisited Adeimantus ( ): Justice really important only because leads to favorable reputation. We praise the consequences of being just, not justice itself

I.Nature vs. Convention: Glaucon’s Question Revisited So, is living the just life worthwhile in and of itself? Socrates’ answer?

I.Nature vs. Convention: Glaucon’s Question Revisited Yes, because The tyrant’s is the unhappiest life Even if everything goes wrong, it is better to live the just life Argues that the truly good life cannot be means to something, but rather must be good in and of itself

I.Nature vs. Convention: Glaucon’s Question Revisited Dramatic irony here in that Socrates becomes defender of the city How to respond to Glaucon? The City in Speech

II. The City in Speech Easier to see things writ large, so draws analogy between justice in individual person and just city (II, 368c-e)

II. The City in Speech What would a just city look like? Division of Labor -- Why – 1.more efficient. – 2.better able to fulfill economic needs of city “City of sows” vs “Luxurious City” (II, 371, d-e)

II. The City in Speech Implications: – surplus – people will start to want more – need for police state. – need to apply this principle (division of labor) to political life who is best able to govern? need specialization in politics

II. The City in Speech Guardians Auxiliaries Craftsmen

II. The City in Speech Guardians Auxiliaries Craftsmen Reason Spirit Desire Classes of CityClasses of the Soul

II. The City in Speech Anti-Democratic since – democracy is view that politics is too important to be left to professionals and everyone should take part – No specialization, no division of labor – Therefore inefficient way to do things – Plato argues for the need to be good at one thing since diversification implies incompetence

III.Critique of Democracy Need division of labor at most important task (i.e., technical competence) Moral competence issue – people at top need to have some authority over them – in democracy people -- through elections -- get to rule – moral competence impossible unless have guardians inasmuch as moral competence is not evenly distributed – going to be rare phenomenon

III.Critique of Democracy Tension between virtues of private life and public life – private virtues responsibility to narrow/parochial interests (family, e.g.) – love overrides moral value

III.Critique of Democracy Democracy is irrational since virtues of private life conflict with virtues of public life FamilyCity LoveRespect

III.Critique of Democracy Love: feeling for someone who stands in special relation to you love the person, not the properties of the person Respect: not who you are, but what you have done (i.e., respect the properties not necessarily the person). here, can replace the person

III.Critique of Democracy In Plato’s City, the upper classes have no private life – this overcomes the problem of love/respect But lower classes have no public life – thus the people who govern never need face opposing interests

IV. The Noble Lie Problem? How to get folks at the bottom of the pyramid to accept their fate?