Comparing the Republic to the Modern Society Essay

The relevance of The Republic to our current society In Platos The Republic, Plato illustrates what his nonsuch city would check like. He describes the gentilityal systems, ideal legislators and the drives of democracy. The nation influenced human racey a(prenominal) passel to understand the purpose for democracy, and it direct to bleak philosophical schools of thought. Although this melt r bulge was indite hundreds of years ago, it still affects our modern world today. One of the most weighty things that Plato stresses is the greatness of education.Without education of the masses, democracy would check to exist. When Plato was forming his ideal society, he stressed the importance of education for several reasons. Most betaly, educating citizens led to a peaceful, well-run republic. For Plato, education was non most(predicate) information intake and data storage. Rather, education was drawing out the knowledge that was already in the student. He said that the wor ld power and capacity of learning exists in the individual already He gives an all(a) toldegory of pris championrs in a counteract, who arrest never seen percipient before.They become free, come out of the spelunk and see the light. They understand that the shadows atomic number 18 serious reflections of tangible things they are non the existing things themselves. They ascend up to a heap and see the world for what it really is. Plato uses this flooring to illustrate what education does for the human soul. We are all born in a dark cave, chained to a wall and cannot see the light. We still around all day looking at shadows, which bet to be so real to us. education breaks the chains of ignorance. We can ascend to the flower of the hole and look out onto the resplendent world. According to Plato, after the pris whizrs ascend all the way to the top of the mountain, they moldiness be made to descend again among the prisoners in the den and partake in labors and honors, whether worth(predicate) having or not. Plato notes that once a mortal is educated and has received knowledge and truth, they should go back and teach those who do not know.This still relevant today because we motivating to not be so centre on how high we climb up the ladder, but we need to be come to with how we help others achieve their goals. This allegory is besides used to describe justice. The prisoners in the cave do not know what real justice looks like. The people on the mountain tops must come down and give understanding to those who are lack it. Plato goes on to describe the type of attraction that would be perfect to run the ideal city.The type of attractor that Plato describes is soul who is wisest about the affairs of the state, and by whom the state is go around administered and who at the corresponding time fetch other honors and a better liveliness then that of politics. The ideal leader in Platos time is not such(prenominal) different from the ide al leader in our time period. We still want someone who knows and understands the problems of the state or country, who will be a good leader, and will be able to put the welfare of his people before his own.These characteristics are still what many people look for in a dependable leader. Plato describes that a good leader should not be caught up in their own wealth, they should care about their people. This is a actually foundational idea that is still important in America today. We desire to have a leader who will be humble and care for us, instead of one that has a hidden agenda. According to Plato, frugal self-interest and political power must be kept separate and not be allowed to work in combining to the disadvantage of the state.In mapping out his utopian society, Plato stresses the importance of democracy. In a short adult male called democracy considered, Plato dialog about how oligarchies decay into democracies and democracies decay into tyranny. despotism is formed from pursing ones pleasures and appetites. Plato claims that a man who is deranged and not repair in his mind will deception that he is able to rule, not precisely all over men, but also over gods He describes here that a man can not be a leader if he is deranged and thinks that he is the center of the universe.Plato then shows how democracy and tyranny differ. In describing the differences, Glacon says They are the opposite extremes for one is the in truth best and the other is the very worst. The republic shows many similarities to todays society. We still have many of the same ideals in education and in government. This piece of work was criticized at the time it was written by is now honored and very influential. It was one of the first writings that began occidental thinking and formed many new beliefs that influenced the renaissance.