plato's guardian's

A detailed Summary of plato's guardian's


Plato believes the elders must govern and the young must be governed. The ones to govern must be the best of the elders. This governing class is the Guardians: those picked who have the greatest skill in watching over the community. Plato wants Guardians who "devote their lives to doing what they judge to be in the best interest of the community, and who are never prepared to act against it."

Guardians are chosen to be the ones who will stick firmly to the principle that they must always do what they think best for the community. They are watched closely from their earliest years, and given tasks to see if they will be swayed away from the original principle. The people who forget their beliefs, or change their opinions under the influence are not the ones who show the qualities of a Guardian. Anyone who survives the trials through the course of their life is given the authority in the state.

Guardians will be well educated in order to make them behave humanely to each other and their subjects. If the Guardians are well educated they can see to all the tasks. By maintaining a sound system of education the citizens are produced with good character and they produce children with even b


The only difference between men and women is a physical one: the men beget children, while women bear them. Since this is the only difference, they can both perform the same duties and hold the same occupations. Therefore, both are educated in the same way so both can become Guardians. The wisest men, together with the wisest women conceive the wisest children. In this way, society can benefit from both men and women being Guardians.

In Plato's eyes there is nothing worse than a state split and fragmented. The best is cohesion and unity of the state. "Cohesion dissolves when feelings differ between individuals, which happens when members of society don't agree in their use of words 'mine' and 'not mine'." If there is no private property then there is no 'mine' and 'not mine', everything is communal. Therefore, the Guardians will have no private property beyond the barest essentials. Their food will be supplied. The Guardians will eat together in messes and live together like soldiers in a camp. If they live communally they can focus on helping society since they won't be greedy. This way unity is produced. If there is unity then there is an avoidance of civil war since everyone is working together for the same purpose.

Plato believes in the

Some common words found in the essay are:
Guardians Plato, Plato Guardians, Life Plato, plato believes, private property, guardian's life, gold silver, 'mine' 'not mine', guardians educated, 'mine' 'not, people live, 'not mine', heavenly gold,

Approximate Word count = 850
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • Thomas More and Plato ... people. More focuses on Platoamp39s guardian class in constructing the Utopian Society. ... Platoamp39s ruling class is the guardian class. The ... 1133 words
  • Platos views on women ... these observations into consideration in Book V. The Republic, Book V initiates the discussion of the inclusion of women in Platoamp39s ampquotguardian class.ampquot Right ... 992 words
  • Plato 2 ... with basic intellectual development and the ability to get rid of human natural desire would be needed to fill this position as a guardian. On Platoamp39s view, it ... 1314 words
  • Platoamp39s Republic Another Approach In Platoamp39s Republic, Socrates argues that a perfect state is one that is ... The guardian classamp39 virtue is to be Wise and with this, they may rule ... 1302 words
  • Plato on education ... It is the guardian class who are educated. Plato even goes as far as to say, ampquotOur craftsmen must be kept away from all other crafts so as to be the craftsmen ... 1200 words

Professional Essays

  • Platoamp39s Republic ... In one of his most famous allegories, the Allegory of the Cave, Plato likens this ideal guardian to a freed prisoner who is able to escape the darkness and ... 1890 words
  • Platoamp39s Philosophical Treatise, The Republic ... citizens of the city are inclined to accept that the guardian class, the ... or the active working together of separate components, appears in Plato as something ... 1421 words
  • Platoamp39s Republic ... This is to be a community in which sharing is the order of the day, including the sharing of wives and children by the Guardian class. What Plato developed was ... 1752 words
  • Platoamp39s Republic ... This is to be a community in which sharing is the order of the day, including the sharing of wives and children by the Guardian class. What Plato developed was ... 1754 words
  • Plato and Rousseau Freedom ... all humans are prey to human flaws and desires, we could say this is one of the biggest flaws with Platos concept of the ideal state and guardian and freedom ... 1928 words
  • Platoamp39s Political Philosophy ... The ampquotfairy taleampquot would go on, says Plato, to inform the people of each class that ... will be a philosopherking, the one with silver will be a guardian, and the ... 1601 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.