Saturday, September 12, 2009
Plato's Control
In Plato's ideal city, he censors poets, controls the general population by means of a Noble Lie, arranges coupling between mates, and exercises total control over almost every facet of life. This is how he manages to attain justice in the city, and this is supposed to translate to the individual soul. So in our society, where (almost) any person can do any job, create art to be seen by almost anyone via the internet, and overall there is a general lack of the sort of control present in the Republic, is it possible that our souls are also out of control? Everyday, even if we don't watch television or use the internet (which is obviously not the case), we are bombarded by images (posters and billboards) and ideas (ie: the American Dream) that Plato would not allow in his just city. So can we even hope to achieve justice if Plato only manages to do so by exercising a total control that is impossible for us?
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Was it not in devising the Just city that Plato merely sought to create an allegory to the Soul? Is it, then, not possible to allow Justice, the mean between Wisdom and Appetite within the soul, governed by the Spirited part, to create harmony in a society and world that is so unordered and seemingly unjust? Justice, I maintain, begins and flourishes within the individuals and translates to society through the actions of individuals, as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI do not feel that it is possible for anyone living the the United States to receive justice, according to Plato's beliefs. People have the ability to do whatever they want, which in turn allows them to make unjust decisions. Most everyday, I either experience or hear about something that happened which Plato would most certainly consider unjust. Therefore, I conclude that it is impossible to achieve an entirely just state, with having someone like Plato dictate every aspect of every citizens life.
ReplyDeleteIn class we talked about the "myth of difference" in Plato's ideal world, which actually leads to people being more equal, and the "myth of equality" which exists in America, which leads to more inequalities between people. In Plato's perfect world, it is said that no job is valued higher than another, it is simply ergon, and everyone has their own. But can it really be that they were seen as equal? If everyone has preferences, some people will prefer building ships to teaching, or will see a lawyer as more valuable than a writer. In the U.S. if we tell our kids that they can grow up to be president, that is the thing to strive for, and we all know that presidents are looked at as higher than dishwashers. But if this hierarchy of jobs pushes kids to do their best and work hard to reach their dreams, can it really be injustice? Does Plato say that it is?
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