Plato's Republic

Question 1

What is moral complacency and who in the republic represents it?

Answer 1

Polemarchus and Cephalus

The view that morality is:

• a matter of following a few simple rules
• not very difficult
• not worth worrying too much about

Question 2

What are Plato’s objections to moral complacency

Answer 2

• everyday beliefs are often contradictory or incomplete

- commonsense focuses on what agents do rather than what agents are

Question 3

What is Thrasymachus’ definition of justice?

Answer 3

“nothing more than the advantage of the stronger”

Commonsense view: Justice is following the legal rules and the moral rules.
The powerful are the ones who make the rules.
The powerful make rules that are in their best interest.
————————————————————————–
Therefore: justice is just the advantage of the stronger.

Question 4

What is Thrasymachus’ challenge?

Answer 4

The life of injustice is better than the life of justice.

Question 5

What is Socrates’ response to Thrasymachus’ challenge?

Answer 5

The republic!

Question 6

What is the story of the ring of Gyges and who tells it?

Answer 6

Glaucon
ring from LOTR —> main idea is that you won’t get caught

Glaucon states that: anyone with the ring would act unjustly and they’d be stupid if they didn’t.

“one shouldn’t want to be just, but to be believed to be just”

Question 7

What is Plato’s response to the ring of gyges?

Answer 7

the kallipolis

Question 8

What are the two cities plato imagines?

Answer 8

The first city:
- only immediate needs are met

The Luxurious city

• not only needs but wants
• easier to see justice and injustice

Question 9

What are the three roles in the kallipolis and the biggest threat?

Answer 9

• producers
• auxilliaries
• leaders

greatest threat is INTERNAL CONFLICT

Question 10

What is the principle of specialisation and the two claims for it?

Answer 10

each individual should fulfil the role for which they are best suited

claim concerning nature: different individuals are naturally suited for different jobs
claim concerning interest: our shared interests will be best fulfilled when individuals

Question 11

What are the three means of sustaining the kallipolis/principle of specialisation?

Answer 11

Force
- only when necessary

Education
- training of mind, body and spirit

Art

• censorship
• promote stuff like the myth of the metals

Question 12

What are the four virtues in the kallipolis - how do they function?

Answer 12

• wisdom: rulers perform their function
• courage: auxiliaries protect the kallipolis
• moderation: control, the worst part is controlled by the better, rulers control all
• justice: the having and doing of one’s own work

Question 13

What are the three parts of a person?

Answer 13

• appetitive - seeks gratification
• spirited - seeks honour and glory
• rational - seeks truth and wisdom

Question 14

What do the three parts of the person correspond to in the kallipolis?

Answer 14

• appetitive - producers
• spirited - auxiliaries
• rational - rulers

Question 15

What are the four virtues in the person and what do they lead to?

Answer 15

• wisdom - rational part rules
• courage - spirited part allows them to stand by their morals
• moderation - superior masters inferior, rational controls spirited and appetitive
• justice - the person is just when each part of the person fulfils its purpose

psychic harmony

Question 16

what are the five types of character in order of how they progress?

Answer 16

just - have psychic harmony 
timocratic - honour loving 
oligarchic - money loving
democratic - freedom loving
tyrannical - controlled by insatiable lust

Question 17

How does the person or kallipolis go from just to timocratic? What is the person and kallipolis like when they are timocratic?

Answer 17

• mixing with the wrong sorts of people
  polis: rulers begin to exploit for personal gain
  person: torn between overall rationality and immediate appetites

Question 18

How does the person or kallipolis go from timocratic to oligarchic? What is the person and kallipolis like when they are oligarchic?

Answer 18

• become dominated by love of money
  polis: need to be wealthy to rule, stratification of rich and poor
  person: take pride in only wealth and respect only wealth

Question 19

How does the person or kallipolis go from oligarchic to democratic? What is the person and kallipolis like when they are democratic?

Answer 19

• all other appetites, suppressed by pursuits of wealth, burst forward
  polis: previously neglected producers rise up, demand their interests get satisfied - every citizen in polis shares equal control
  person: neglected appetites are satisfied

Question 20

How does the person or kallipolis go from democratic to tyrannical? What is the person and kallipolis like when they are tyrannical?

Answer 20

• all control is lost, leading to anarchy, the strongest passions dominate
  polis: all people are slaves to the tyrant
  person: a slave to ones own lust

Question 21

What is Plato’s image of the human soul, how is it when the person is just? How is it when they are unjust?

Answer 21

a multi-headed beast: man, lion and beast
just man: the human controls the beast and makes the lion his ally
unjust man: beast and lions overpower man, the three creatures are enemies

Question 22

What are the three proofs that respond to Thrasymachus’ challenge?

Answer 22

proof 1: the just is happier than the unjust. they have unwavering happiness which comes from within. they have unity.

proof 2: the unjust will be miserable as their pleasures aren’t true pleasures, the only true pleasure is understanding

proof 3: tyrants are the unhappiest of all, they are slaves to their lusts

Therefore it is better to be just!!!!!!!