Does Plato Believe There Can Ever Be a Just Society Essay

Does Plato Believe There Can Ever Be A Just Society? In answering this question I first need to describe what a just society would consist of. A perfect state can only be lead under perfect conditions. Civil Society would be a better name for this state. A just state would be made up of three parts. First, a state is a structure with parts that work together like an organism. If the parts do not work well together then the whole thing breaks down. It must have virtues, voices, it can be wise and brave. The state must have everyone performing there jobs to their best ability. For a state to be just the people within the state must also be just. A man is just when he has a well ordered soul because then you will do the right thing†¦show more content†¦In order to get rid of injustice everyone in the society must be educated starting at birth. Women and men need to be equally educated in a well rounded fashion in order to promote a just society. In asking if this society could ever work the answer is no. The only way it could work is if all of society is willing to accept knowledge and work hard for education. Even though there is no such thing as a truly unjust socie ty a totally just society will never happen until people are willing to work for it. Another reason there can never be a perfectly just society is because everyones perception of just is different. We know that the idea of justice is there, but to explain it to where everyone agrees to the idea would be hard to achieve. However, in trying to find true justice the society becomes stronger and more just. Expressing individuality that benefits or hurts a society however, reflects assertiveness, incentive, thought, and creativity, which strengthens the society. If a society ever got to the point of being just, the society would no longer have greed, drive for a better life, it would not have poverty or wealth. The society would just stop. There would be no more invention, growth, or change. The only change from Platos time to ours is technology. We are still searching for the perfect government, the question of who is better than who is still asked, and education is still a major principle toShow MoreRelatedThe Republic By Plato And The Prince By Machiavelli1617 Words   |  7 Pages The Republic by Plato and The Prince by Machiavelli offer important views on political philosophies of rulers. Plato writes of a perfect society where status as ruler is naturally selected through innate abilities. These abilities are used to sustain the society, better it, and preserve it. Machiavelli writes of a society where anyone can be a prince; which for our purposes is a synonym for ruler, if they follow his instructions. These instructions are to ensure a new ruler can take control of newRead MoreThe Republic by Plato1411 Words   |  6 PagesAfter reading The Republic there are three main points that Plato had touched on. The first of these three points is that Plato is disheartened with democracy. It was due to Socrates’ untimely death during Athens’ democracy that led to his perception of the ideal state as referred to in The Republic. Plato perceived that the material greed was one of the many evils of politics; in Plato’s eyes greed was one of the worst evils of political life. Thus economic power must be separated from politicalRead MorePlato Is One Of The Greatest And Well Known Philosophers1388 Words   |  6 Pages Plato is one of the greatest and well known philosophers of all time. Born around 428 BC, Plato grew up in Greece learning from Socrates, another well known philosopher. Later in life, Plato taught Aristotle who was also a well known philosopher. His works of writing and thoughts about life have significantly impacted the Western culture in numerous ways. In selected readings of Plato, he seems to place importance on wisdom, and how to attain wisdom. Plato argues that in order to attain pure knowledgeRead MorePlatos The Apology659 Words   |  3 Pagesnot win over the jury pleading his case, and was therefore sentenced to execution. It can be said that Plato’s Apology of Sokrates, although an unsuccessful attempt at defending Socrates on the charges of corruption the youth of Athens, is a successful defense of the philosophical statement, ‘the unexamined life isn’t worth living for a human being.’ ‘The unexamined life isn’t worth living for a human being’ can be analyzed to mean that human beings are wise creatures and therefore must have analyticalRead MoreLaw Is A Social Institution1390 Words   |  6 Pagesuninteresting. Studying law yes does require all the previous mentioned, but it’s also so much more than that. Law is a social institution and as we know different places have different sets of laws for the people residing in them to follow. Studying law is yes learning all of the rules and regulations that create that law but it is also â€Å"to gain valuable understanding of one’s society, its heritage, its values, and its day-to-day functioning†(Law, Justice and Society, 2). Of course yes there are aRead MorePlato s Republic : A Political Leader Is The Greatest Way Have A Successful Political Rule997 Words   |  4 Pagessubject - that on which he practices his craft.† According to Plato, treating political rule as a craft with master craftsmen in power is the greatest way have a successful political rule. This idea is pessimistic when viewed in terms of a democratic society, as a true democracy places a value on the ability of everyone to exercise political authority either through voting or being elected into a political office. Socrates believes that democracy is inherently flawed because it gives a politicalRead MoreThe Notions of Justice in The Republic and Antigone1707 Words   |  7 Pageswith them I shall abide for ever† (Sophocles, p. 4). Antigone says that through death, human life is justified and made complete, and that death is essentially the final form of justice for any human life. The Republic also addresses the concept of death within justice. In the piece, Socrates questions the use of death as a form of punishment. Unlike in Antigone, Plato writes about man’s fear of death, and how that fear can be used against him. Socrates states, â€Å"Can any man be courageous who hasRead MoreEssay on Plato1631 Words   |  7 PagesPlato The first degree of belief are physical objects, as the second degree of belief are shadows and images of the physical objects. In the last book, Plato criticizes poetry and the fine arts. Plato feels that art is merely the imitation of the imitation of reality, and that poetry corrupts the soul. Socrates says that artists merely create things. As an example, if a painter draws a couch on his canvas, he is creating a couch. But the couch he creates is not the real couch, it is nothingRead MorePlato s Allegory Of The Cave And Paulo Freire s The Banking Concept Of Education1069 Words   |  5 Pageswith both Plato and Freire in saying that without education, like the prisoners, our perception of reality is distorted by our lack of knowledge. In Plato’s essay, â€Å"Allegory of The Cave† Plato creates a story about three prisoners in a cave, through this he further makes his point that without knowledge our view of the truth is askew. Plato explains that the three hostages have been shackled in the dark cave their whole lives unable to see the real world. The only piece of actuality they can see areRead MorePersonal Philosophy : Al Farabi1684 Words   |  7 Pages and influencing many prominent philosophers, like Ibn Sina. Through his works, he became well known in the East as well as the West. Al Farabi’s philosophy was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy just like how western philosophy was influenced by Greek philosophy. Specifically, Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates were the main Greek influencers of Al Farabi. Al Farabi as well as Ibn Sina have been recognized as Peripatetics or rationalists. The best known Arabic source for Al Farabi s political philosophy