Essays on Philosophers

495

A Battle Between Art and Decency in The Republic

3 pages / 1450 words

The role of art in society has always presented a battle between freedom of expression and decency, as is clearly presented in Book III of The Republic. Plato argues that the purpose of the arts is to promote the virtues of wisdom, justice, courage, and...

Plato Plato Republic The Republic

496

The Building Blocks of The Republic: a Deserting of The People in The Republic by Socrates

4 pages / 1929 words

“[H]ow it would come into being, if it ever were to come into being, you have, in my opinion, Socrates, stated well” (The Republic, 510a). The possibility of the Republic coming into being is the issue which sets the earlier Dialogues apart from The Republic....

Band Socrates The Republic

497

Advantages and Disadvantages of Morality in Plato's Republic

2 pages / 1175 words

Very early in Plato’s Republic, Thrasymachus argues that “In any and every situation, a moral person is worse off than an immoral one”. (343d) Furthermore, that a moral person is a simpleton, while an immoral person exercises sound judgement. (348c-d) Socrates is faced with a...

Plato Plato Republic

498

A Study of The Relationship Between Plato and Socrates

3 pages / 1553 words

Socrates was the first of three major philosophers in ancient Greece. He was born in the golden age in Athens. Socrates believed that there was a ‘universal truth’, and that every citizen should be searching for it. He was told he was the smartest person...

Plato Socrates

499

Analysis of Plato's Concept of The Forms

3 pages / 1304 words

Plato’s Concept of the Forms stems from his dialogue ‘The Republic’, written in 380 BC. In this he discusses his use of ‘a priori’ knowledge – truth gained through logical and tangible thought. Instead of observing the world at face value, Plato was a rationalist...

Plato The Republic

500

A Critical Analysis of The City-soul Analogy as Illustrated by Plato

4 pages / 1955 words

Analysis of Plato’s The Republic, City-Soul Analogy In an elaborate effort to comprehend individual justice, Socrates engages in a lengthy debate which explores intricate details, structures, and overarching principles of a just city. This analysis will explore the City-Soul analogy through three separate human lenses....

Plato Plato Republic The Republic

501

Doing Away with Gender Roles in The Republic and on Liberty

4 pages / 1745 words

Although Mill’s On Liberty and Plato’s The Republic both advocate the abolishment of gender roles, their respective justifications and resulting ideologies differ saliently. The inception of these differences arises from the basic moral premises from which these ideologies are derived; justice is of fundamental importance,...

Plato The Republic

502

A Righteous City as Depicted in The Writings by Alfabi and Plato

2 pages / 1196 words

The concept of the virtuous city is central to both Plato’s and Alfarabi’s treatments of political science. The respective analyses of Plato and Alfarabi bear many similarities, but their final goals differ radically. Plato’s description of the republic is both an ideal towards which cities...

Plato The Republic

503

The Unspoken Rebuttal of Socrates by Plato in The Republic

4 pages / 2144 words

Plato’s Republic utilizes a political approach to answer what is essentially a moral question. In attempting to identify justice in the individual, Socrates takes an unmistakable turn toward the direction of political philosophy, describing the formation of his ideal city Kallipolis. It can hardly be...

Plato Socrates The Republic

504

The Views of Plato and Aristotle on The Nature of Goodness

5 pages / 2164 words

The nature of goodness is distinctly disparate between Plato and Aristotle. Plato argues for a higher form of goodness, while Aristotle argues back with a societal form of goodness. Aristotle’s view of goodness is far more realistic to the actual world, and it disproves Plato’s...

Aristotle Plato The Republic

505

A Critique of Plato's Republic by Aristotle

2 pages / 972 words

In book two of Aristotle’s Politics, Aristotle defines his ideal state by criticizing the values put forward in Plato’s The Republic. In doing so, Aristotle censures Plato’s idea of state unification through sharing as much as possible, including wives, children, and property. Aristotle counters that...

Aristotle Plato The Republic

506

The Sun's Shadow: a Study of The Loopholes in The Platonic Political Theory

4 pages / 1975 words

Plato and Aristotle both reject the moral relativism of the sophists and address the question of how man can achieve absolute virtue. In The Republic, Plato constructs an existence proof, a kallipolis that produces philosopher-kings who grasp the eternal Good and rule benevolently. Aristotle discusses...

Aristotle Plato The Republic

507

Gender Equality from Plato's Perspective

1 page / 750 words

Plato employs a meritocratic logic in his proposal for gender equality in Book V of The Republic. In his ideal community, the kallipolis, comprised of producers, guardians, and rulers, Plato advocates a specialization of employment and status based on inherent nature and not on gender-typing....

Gender Equality Plato The Republic

508

Plato's Democracy as The 4th Best Constitution

3 pages / 1487 words

In his Republic, Plato enlivens the character of Socrates with his own views of how a just and virtuous city would grow into existence. In describing his ideal city-state, a society ruled by an aristocratic Philosopher-king, Plato also makes note of the four other possible...

Plato The Republic

509

Understanding Plato's Forms and The Concept of Philosopher-kings

2 pages / 1133 words

According to Plato, true knowledge originates in the realm of the Forms, or universal, eternal, constant, and absolute truths that only the mind can access, such as the Form of the Good or the Form of the Just. Forms are not part of the visible...

Plato Plato Republic The Republic

510

Interpretations of Plato’s Allegory of The Cave in Erasmus’ Praise of Folly

5 pages / 2253 words

In the Praise of Folly, Erasmus creates a character critical of, yet indebted to, philosophical wisdom. Through Folly, Erasmus weaves his own ideas into her message, confusing readers unable to distinguish between the two voices. In Praise of Folly, Folly refers to Plato’s “Allegory of...

Allegory of The Cave Plato The Republic

511

Christianity and Machiavelli's Codes of Ethics in The Prince

2 pages / 1015 words

In The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli, the author, generally lays forth a system of ethics for rulers. Given the strength of Christianity at the time that he wrote this work, Machiavelli’s instructions to aspiring rulers are surprising. His definition of “goodness,” or “virtue,” seems to stray...

Machiavelli The Prince

512

Limitations in Machiavelli's Work The Prince

3 pages / 1303 words

Machiavelli’s The Prince is an ambitious attempt to outline the steps necessary to ensuring success in leadership. The work dissects the elements of power; it identifies the sources from which it springs and the tactics required for its maintenance. His position rests on the claim...

Machiavelli The Prince

513

The Concept of Virtu in Machiavelli's The Prince

6 pages / 2947 words

The concept of virtu is central to Machiavellian political theory in The Prince. The problematic nature of this term makes a concise definition difficult to formulate. Varying definitions often lead to different interpretations of Machiavelli. In order to understand the implications of Machiavelli’s writing it...

Machiavelli The Prince