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Even after thousands of years Plato and Socrates teachings are as valid in today communities as it was in their times. Plato left us a blueprint etch in stone in becoming an idealistic human being and righteous community. Through Crito, Apology, and the Republic, Plato reveals that even though the unjust ideals may be enticing it will bring a just happiness. In book VII of The Republic, Socrates speaks with Glaucon about the analogy of "The Cave." This analogy represents humanity as being ignorant and uneducated. Unable to conceptualize or understand beyond what can be seen. People in the Cave were unable to see anything except the images made that are cast against the wall which for the most part are false.
This is their reality. Socrates teaches that one must realize the falseness of the shadows and turn to search for the truth. One must question the traditions of the community to seek knowledge. I can relate this to the community I grew up. It was a community that didnt believe in education as an important tool to success. I would see generation after generation of people who would continue the same blindness and not realizing the truth in knowledge.
I was one of the few who wanted more than what the cave offered. I knew there was more than what was in my community. So I left my community studied how other communities achieved success that I was searching. Socrates also teaches that the ones who do find knowledge out of the cave must return and inform them of what you have seen and what reality really is. In my experience I have done such thing by returning to my community and letting family, friends and acquaintances know of the fallacy we are living in. I would inform them of a better life outside of the cave that is my community.
Socrates teaches us the goal of a philosopher is to think and comprehend matters beyond those of this world. It is then their obligation to enlighten the rest of us, as the rest of us are in the dark, as In the Apology and Crito's, we experience the final life of Socrates and his teachings of paying the price for disobeying the laws of the state. He believed the politics in Athens were so corrupt he wouldnt have survived because a just man can not live in Athens. In the Apology, he was charged of the corruption of the Athenians youth by teaching them atheism and corrupting their minds. Even though the judges were willing to let him live under the conditions he would stop practicing philosophy, he still refuse these conditions. He believed that he would rather obey god than man and he can not live exercising his belief, he preferred to die.
I believed his life would have been a waste if he listened to the judges and stop questioning the Athenians view of happiness and justice. I also learned from the Apology that one should not fear death or treat as a bad thing. Socrates believed that death could be a blessing instead of a curse that the majority of us believe. He states death could be dreamless sleep which would be an advantage.
He saw death as entering a place where he could speak with the great minds of the past. In the Crito, Socrates teaches us once you disobey the law you must be ready to accept the punishment. Socrates had many opportunities to escape the death sentence. However, if he did escape from prison such as Crito suggested the polis would have taught of Socrates as a hypocrite instead of a great philosopher. He saw his escape as a harm to the city which would contradict the ideals of a just man / just state. Another theory Plato taught was the Theory of the Ideas/Forms.
This theory is a very abstract quality for the perfect ruler. Plato mention until a philosopher becomes a ruler the ideal State would never flourish. Philosopher is a lover of wisdom and seeker of the truth. In his theory, he uses the idea of beauty to explain the Forms. Beauty is a word we use to express a feeling that makes us feel good. According to Plato, a statue of Michelangelo would give a sensation that I would interpret as beautiful.
However, Plato states we are only capable of seeing a beautiful thing but not the essence of Beauty itself. Plato also says that there is an alternate universe where the true essences of the Forms exist. In this existence lay the perfect Beauty, perfect Size, perfect Goodness, etc. A true philosopher would have gift to see that the world is just a poor reflection of this perfect Form. He teaches me that if I do not look through these images and search for absolute true Forms, I would reach true knowledge. That is the Quality of the Philosopher which why they would the perfect ruler.
They would not need worldly desires such as the flesh, money, and possessions. This refrain of the worldly desires would keep him Plato states another quality for one to be a perfect philosopher is to Just. Plato argues that man has three parts in the mind that is Reason, Emotion, and Desire. For one to be just we must have the three parts in the appropriate order. This is where the four Cardinal Virtues which is Wisdom, Courage, Discipline, and Justice come in play. One must find wisdom in their reasoning to be considered wise.
Their emotions must be filled with courage to be considered courageous. When Reason has control of Emotion and Desire without conflict then one is disciplined. This equation of virtues would equal the final virtue, Justice. According to Plato Justice is to a man as sharpness is to a knife. This taught me that to be a just man I must control my emotions and desires.
Plato again emphasis we must not give in to the emotions and desires of the worldly which can then corrupt us and make us unjust. Goodness is another characteristic of a perfect philosopher ruler. Plato states that Goodness is the highest of all the forms. He teaches that for us to see the Form we must know what Goodness is. Plato uses the analogy of the Sun to explain what is Goodness. In the Republic, As the Sun is the source of Light which makes us see the worldly objects, Goodness gives us the source of Truth which makes us see the Forms and understand them.
I see this analogy as Plato's foresight to God and religion. I interpret his analogy has an existence of a higher being who create the perfect Forms. For us to Just or Saved we must be in touch with the Creator. I found this analogy to be the deepest of his theories because he must have been in touch with such Goodness or "Creator" to be able to speak of this. In conclusion, Plato's ideal state unfortunately will never flourish for we live in a worldly society. His ideal state is a perfect state that only exist in the Forms.
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