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PLATO
Philosophy of Law
1A
The Republic:
Content of the Report
Historical Background
Works of Plato
Political Theory
The Republic
The Guardian
Equality of Woman
Historical Background
The chain of events that led Plato the intricate web of beliefs
that unify metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and politics
into single inquiry is difficult to determine.
Historical Background
Historical Background
Historical Background
All the said events that was thoroughly discussed, led the
young Plato to set his course in life, to become a
remarkable philosopher who was in search for the utopian
state that he greatly aspired for his own beloved Athens.
Works of
Plato
The dialogues of Plato may be divided into early, middle, and later periods of
composition.
The earliest represent Platos attempt to communicate the philosophy and dialectical
style of Socrates. As Socrates begins to raise questions, however, it becomes clear
that the one reputed to be wise really does not know what he claims to know, and
Socrates emerges as the wiser one because he at least knows that he does not know.
Such knowledge, of course, is the beginning of wisdom. Included in this group of
dialogues are:
Charmides (an attempt to define temperance)
Lysis (a discussion of friendship)
Laches (a pursuit of the meaning of courage)
Protagoras (a defense of the thesis that virtue is knowledge and can be taught)
Euthyphro (a consideration of the nature of piety)
Crito (Socrates defense of obedience to the laws of the state)
Works of Plato
The
Works of Plato
The
Phaedo
Works of Plato
The works of the later period include the following:
Theaetetus (a denial that knowledge is to be identified with sense
perception),
Parmenides (a critical evaluation of the theory of Forms)
Sophist (further consideration of the theory of Ideas, or Forms)
Philebus (a discussion of the relationship between pleasure and the
good),
Timaeus (Platos views on natural science and cosmology)
Laws (a more practical analysis of political and social issues).
The Republic
The Republic
The Republic:
Justice as the Interest of the Stronger
According to Plato, the elders should have the authority over the young, and that the rulers
must be the best.
The Republic:
The Rudiments of Social Organization
The Republic:
The Luxurious State
The luxury of the state may help us to discover how justice and injustice
take root in the society.
The country that once enough to support the needs of its inhabitants
will be too small once a state becomes luxurious.
Cut off a slice or take a piece of territory that belongs to somebody else.
All wars are made for the sake of getting money (Phaedo,66).
The Republic:
Primary Education of the Guardians
The training of the guardian will start with mind before the body.
Nurses or mother of the child will not only rub the limbs of the child to make them strong but also,
they will cultivate their young minds with stories.
Stories that would destroy the well being of the child must be destroyed.
.According to Plato, Homer must not be admitted in his structured state for he might destroy and
corrupt the mind of the children.
The first stories that the child would hear should be designed to produce the best possible effect
on his character.
A poet or a writer whether epic, poem, lyric or drama should represent the divine nature as it is
really good.
The moral of the literary work must emphasize that nothing that is good can be harmful; and if cannot do
harm, it can do no evil; and so it cannot be responsible for any evil.
Another is the law for religion, is that all must conform in speech or writing is that heaven is not responsible
for everything, but only for what is good.
Guardians will be those who, at the whole course of their lives are found to
be zeal to do whatever they believe as good for the commonwealth and will
never go against the interest of the commonwealth.
Guardians treating the citizens in any harsh way because they are stronger
are turning into a savage tyrants instead of friendly allies will be punished.
The manner of living of their living will be, first, none of them will possess
private property beyond the necessities, their house will be open to all. Food
will be serve according to temperance and courage of a man in war and
they will receive an annual wage for guardianship. Guardians will leave in
common and have meals in common.
In simple terms, guardians will live a simple and not an extravagant life.
The Republic:
The Virtues in the State
The same three elements that exist in the state also exist in the
soul. If both the man and the society possess the same manner,
excellence follows.
The relationship between the three parts of man and the state:
A just man does not allow the several elements in his soul to
usurp one anothers function
For him, women should take their full share in building a just state.
According to Plato, we shall not have one education for men and
another for women.
Guardians wife must have the same training as that of the men.
To cement their allegiance to the state instead of their own desires, the
guardians would own no private property and would live communally, residing
in barracks together and raising their children as a group instead of in small
families.
And that well describes the life of one whose motto is liberty and equality.
"To
go against the laws, which are based upon long experience, and the
wisdom of counsellors who have graciously recommended them and
persuaded the multitude to pass them, would be a far greater and more
ruinous error than any adherence to written law?
The
The
Legislation
Only
The
Plato
insists that the judges are bound to act within the law and
"samples of penalties should be set before the judges as a model to
keep them from an infringement of the bounds of right."
Since
For
Accordingly,
Plato's
Evaluative
Free of involvement in ideology, is clearest in critical analysis and in conversation
with friends who represent different points of view.
Ideological
prominent in sharp debates on political obligation, where one is apt to characterize
rules for the purpose of winning an argument, or in bitter opposition to a
government.
Practical
interested in the formal aspect of rules, in the commands of the state, in "lawyer's
law.
Scientific
evaluate the norms under inspection, but his purpose goes beyond that, extending to
considerations that are important in political-legal science, analytical and empirical.
End.
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