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Book V of The Republic finds Socrates explaining the practical details necessary in the creation of an ideal polis. He proposes a system for population control and human eugenics based on a lottery of sorts which will determine who will mate with whom and when. The lottery is "rigged" by the rulers in order that the best of the "herd" will mate much more frequently than others. However, only the rulers of this society will know the lottery is rigged. This system will presumably assure that children will be conceived as the result of reason, not irrational behaviors such as love or lust, and will produce the best possible future generations (Plato 458 d - 460 c). I argue that Plato's lottery would not have worked in his time, nor would it work now because the desire to propagate was and still is a human instinct propelled by passion, not something that can simply be reasoned away.
While Plato proposed that licentiousness would be forbidden and matrimony given the highest degree of sanctity (458 e), I do not think that would be enough to stop a massive rise in sex crimes and passionate affairs. Instead of a just society, Plato's proposal would have created one of fear, self-doubt and lack of trust in the government and is not something I would advocate implementing. While we can never really know how this utopia would have "played out" in Plato's time, the negative effects on a society when passions are forcibly controlled can be illustrated in a modern sense by the Catholic Church and our penal system. Plato wrote that guardians would be "drawn together by a necessity of their natures to have intercourse" (458 d) and yet, their sexual interludes should be limited by the use of the lottery.
It is important to point out that since reliable and accessible birth control is a recent luxury, Plato was not simply advocating for selective child birth, he was talking about abstaining from heterosexual sex unless you "won" the lottery. I don't think Plato's lottery system would have worked out as well as he envisioned. When the less desirable of the population were consistently "unlucky" and unable to propagate year after year, what would have happened to them psychologically? Given that copulation was to be an honor bestowed upon those who were brave (Plato 460 b), those who did not get to participate in the festivities of marriage for long stretches of time might start to develop self-worth issues. Because children were an extremely important part of the community (Plato 464 b) these "losers" might lament the fact that they were not brave enough, smart enough or attractive enough to elicit such an honor. Also, the fact that the lottery would be rigged to their detriment could lead them to believe they were eternally unlucky.
Add in their knowledge that the brave, handsome and really intelligent people were (for some odd reason) always "winning" the lottery and they might become depressed or angry over their lot in life. Even the most rational people can "reason" their way into doubting themselves and their value to society. Another ill-effect of "forced abstinence" would lead to a rise in rape, incest and secret relationships based on raw desires and / or romantic love. Passion and desire may not be reasonable, but they are human.
In our current society violent sex crimes are committed all the time by people who could have sex at any time with anyone who legally consented. Imagine if sexual encounters were limited to specific times of year and then, only certain people were allowed to participate! Regard for sexual restraints would be out the window. I cannot imagine that the people in Plato's time were so very different.
Those who could not control their desires would turn to sexual assault or rape to satisfy this natural instinct which would lead to people living in a state of fear and paranoia. Even those who were not prone to simply take what they needed to meet their base needs might be tempted by love or mutual attraction to break their tacit consent to the lottery. It has been my experience with human nature that passion almost always wins when placed against society and, in many cases, the law. Alternatively, those who were "lucky" enough to win the lottery may have romantic feelings for a person who did not win. This situation could cause those involved to begin to question the wisdom of the lottery system. They may begin to wonder what kind of system would pressure two people who are not interested in each other to have children together while at the same time deny them the right to have sex with someone they truly enjoy.
If they question one thing, they will begin to question others, such as the wisdom of their leaders, their prescribed lot in life, etc... Regardless of the ways or means, forced celibacy would lead to doubt about one's own value and worth to society, a heightened level of fear of sexual violence in society and a possible lack of trust in the wisdom and utopian nature of society. I have not found it explicitly stated, but I feel safe in saying that this is not what Plato had in mind for his utopian society. Two modern examples of why higher authority should not implement forced control of sexual passion between consenting adults can be seen in a modern light by the recently publicized "failings" of some Catholic priests and the behavior of prison inmates. Like the citizens of Plato's utopia, the Catholic priests and federal prison inmates are all living under the umbrella of a system that dictates sexual behavior and, while the specifics may be different, the results are tragically similar. The Catholic priests made a promise to God and their faith to remain celibate.
As in Plato's proposed society, the monks must consent to this system in order to live in the community. Yet as much as they may struggle to, not all are able to quell their desires and some have ended up raping other priests or younger children who had been placed in their trust. The prisoners, while not an ideal group of people yet people regardless, are forced by prison authorities to restrain from sexual activities with other inmates. While many victims of prisoner sexual assault refuse to press charges, acts of rape occur with alarming frequency even in the face of extended jail time or other punishments. Whether restraint of sexual instincts are willingly accepted or forced upon a community, the results can lead to a decidedly non-ideal situation. By looking at some modern examples, I have shown how human desire can, and often does, override reason and the law even when faced with community imposed consequences or dire punishments.
While current society differs greatly from Plato's Greece, people are still people and human instinct existed then just as it exists today. People who are denied the ability to choose if and with whom they can have sex are liable to become irrational or turn to violent means to reach that end, regardless of the era in which they live. In Plato's ideal society these unsanctioned actions could have lead to an increased level in the public's fear for their physical safety. Individuals consistently denied by the rulers to copulate might develop self-worth issues and finally, a pin-prick of imperfection in this utopian society may be discovered by those who are forbidden from enjoying physical relations with those they desire or love.
Works Cited Plato, The Republic. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2004.
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