Plato's Republic Flashcards
What is moral complacency and who in the republic represents it?
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
What are Plato’s objections to moral complacency
- everyday beliefs are often contradictory or incomplete
- commonsense focuses on what agents do rather than what agents are
What is Thrasymachus’ definition of justice?
“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.
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Therefore: justice is just the advantage of the stronger.
What is Thrasymachus’ challenge?
The life of injustice is better than the life of justice.
What is Socrates’ response to Thrasymachus’ challenge?
The republic!
What is the story of the ring of Gyges and who tells it?
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”
What is Plato’s response to the ring of gyges?
the kallipolis
What are the two cities plato imagines?
The first city:
- only immediate needs are met
The Luxurious city
- not only needs but wants
- easier to see justice and injustice
What are the three roles in the kallipolis and the biggest threat?
- producers
- auxilliaries
- leaders
greatest threat is INTERNAL CONFLICT
What is the principle of specialisation and the two claims for it?
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
What are the three means of sustaining the kallipolis/principle of specialisation?
Force
- only when necessary
Education
- training of mind, body and spirit
Art
- censorship
- promote stuff like the myth of the metals
What are the four virtues in the kallipolis - how do they function?
- 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
What are the three parts of a person?
- appetitive - seeks gratification
- spirited - seeks honour and glory
- rational - seeks truth and wisdom
What do the three parts of the person correspond to in the kallipolis?
- appetitive - producers
- spirited - auxiliaries
- rational - rulers
What are the four virtues in the person and what do they lead to?
- 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
what are the five types of character in order of how they progress?
just - have psychic harmony timocratic - honour loving oligarchic - money loving democratic - freedom loving tyrannical - controlled by insatiable lust
How does the person or kallipolis go from just to timocratic? What is the person and kallipolis like when they are timocratic?
- mixing with the wrong sorts of people
polis: rulers begin to exploit for personal gain
person: torn between overall rationality and immediate appetites
How does the person or kallipolis go from timocratic to oligarchic? What is the person and kallipolis like when they are oligarchic?
- 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
How does the person or kallipolis go from oligarchic to democratic? What is the person and kallipolis like when they are democratic?
- 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
How does the person or kallipolis go from democratic to tyrannical? What is the person and kallipolis like when they are tyrannical?
- 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
What is Plato’s image of the human soul, how is it when the person is just? How is it when they are unjust?
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
What are the three proofs that respond to Thrasymachus’ challenge?
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!!!!!!!
