Plato

Universal Introduction

• Significance: Founder of philosophical idealism , Father of Political

Philosophy.
• Quotes for Introduction/Conclusion
o “The entire European philosophical tradition is nothing but a set of
foot notes to Plato…” Whitehead
o “One can be either Platonic, or anti-Platonic, but can never be non-platonic.” – Karl
Popper.
o "Plato is philosophy , philosophy …" R.W Emerson
• Methodology : Dialectical approach (Socrates). Imaginative, romantic and utopian ,idealist
thinker.
• Influences
o Spartan model
o Pythagoras - Immortality of the human soul
o Heraclitus: Nothing was permanent in this sensory world
o Parmenides : concept of Permanence → concept of Idea.
o Socrates: “Wisest man” , “virtue is knowledge” , “a life unexamined is not worth
living”
• Objective/Concern: Athens as an ideal State, ‘the ignorance’ of the ruling class →
‘Philosopher King.’
• Works
o The Republic –young Plato → Ideal state→ The Philosopher King,
o The Statesman - Rule of law > P King.
o The Laws→ Mature Plato, mixed constitution as the best → similarity Aristotle →
Aristotle’s “ideal state is always Plato’s second best” (Sabine).

Theory of Idea.

• “Father of political Philosophy”

• "Plato is philosophy , philosophy …" R.W Emerson
• Based on - Socrates’s Theory of Knowledge : Know Thyself, Unexamined life is not worth
living, Virtue is knowledge.
o Ultimate Knowledge (cannot be gained through sensory organs)
o Opinions (knowledge of matter and material)
• Concept of Idea
o Matter - Physical, sensory organs, world of change.
o Idea- Spiritual , reason, world of permanence.
o Allegory of caves.
▪ “Reality is the shadow of Idea.” – Plato.
▪ Chain of Ignorance and arrogance
▪ Sun = True enlightenment
▪ Fire = Illusion of knowledge
▪ Real knowledge = knowledge of Ideas
▪ World of Idea = Real World
▪ World of Matter – Illusion
▪ Linkage - Hindu belief – Guru helps to attain enlightenment from darkness. ,
Adi Shankaracharya = This world is world of Illusion (Mithya )
o Aristotle : Rectified Plato’s Theory of idea. Believes in coexistence of Idea as well as
matter.

Theory of soul – Myth of metals

• Earth-born
• Guardian and Producer class
• Not hereditary → functional role in society
was determined by his own natural aptitude
→ Social mobility → a revolutionary step,
considering that all ancient societies were
stratified.

Theory of Justice

• Book : REPUBLIC → “Concerning Justice.”

• Plato critically examined contemporary views on justice –
o Cephalus ( paying one’s debts, Idealist view),
o Polemarchus ( “good to friends and harm to enemies”),
o Thrasymachus (interests of the strong , realist view) → Linkages :Tulsidas : Samrath
ko nahi Dosh Gosain)
o Glaucon (Pragmatic , interest of weak, social contract tradition)
• Plato’s: Not narrow legalistic sense → broad sense denoting the right conduct.
o Functional Specialization
o proper stationing.
o Non-interference.
• Justice = “one class, one duty ”.
• Linkages: Dharma
• “State is individual writ large.”
o “State does not come out of Oak or rock… it inheres in the mind of the people living
in the state”(Plato)
o The two levels of justice:
▪ At Individual level (Just man) – Ethical conception of justice
▪ At state level – Political conception of justice
o For Plato both are parallel and interlinked.
o The functions of a society—ruling, defence and production.
o Linkages : Gandhi; Machiavelli (Dual Morality),realist .
• Criticism:
o Too much Control and monitoring.
o Nietzsche : founding a just society with the help of a necessary myth to give
philosophy its political influence.
o Russell :The compulsory acceptance of such myths is incompatible with philosophy.
o Karl Popper : The abuses of the myth far outweighed its uses…….Plato is against
Equalitarianism and humanitarianism, anti-individual…believes in natural privileges
o Sabine "not only is it a bad politics but also bad psychology"

Concept of state
• Totalitarian , inhuman ,regimented and hierarchical
• Historicism
o Aristocracy → Timocracy → oligarchy → democracy → tyranny.
• PLATOS SECOND-BEST STATE : In the Laws, government by law .

Theory of Communism
• “If education is the primary machinery, to create the ideal state, communism is the supplementary
machinery.”
• What? - property, family.
• Why? – Additional safeguard. Marriage for eugenic purpose, Liberation of women.
• For Whom? - The guardian class, Producer class - neither possible nor required
• Critical Evaluation:
o excessive regimentation, privacy and individuality, challenged some of the cherished
conventions within human society.
o Regressive → “stock breeder”.
o Aristotle : “Remedies as worse than the disease itself”; "Don't sacrifice good for the best";
“Everyone's property is no ones responsibility"
o Supporters : Early socialists like Saint Simon, Owen and Fourier.
o Conclusion :Plato‘s diagnosis about evils correct, prescription are wrong → transparency
and accountability in public life.
Similarity between Marx and Plato :
• Similarities : Existence of class, Private property as evil.
• Idealist, Materialist
• Ideal State, supremacy of the state; state as an instrument of exploitation, wants to end the
state.
• Citizens to sacrifice their interests for the sake of state; revolution against the state.
• 3 classes, Classless society.
• Non violence; Violence
• Idea as the ultimate reality; ‘false consciousness.’
• Communism of wives and family; abolition of private property.

Conclusion: The similarities are superficial and the differences are fundamental .

Theory of Philosopher King.

• “Those states are best governed where rulers are reluctant to govern, rather than the states
where rulers are eager to govern. ”
• “For no law or ordinance is mightier than knowledge.”
• "Not wise to replace an expert practitioner of medicine with a book of medicine"
• “Until philosophers are the rulers or the rulers learn philosophy , there is no end to the
predicament of human life.”
• The theory of the philosopher ruler was the linchpin of Plato’s Ideal State.
• Who? - A passion for knowledge.
• Philosophic Absolutism
• Criticism
o Unchecked power, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
o Not inclusive
o Aristotle : “Law is a reason without passion.” “one should not sacrifice good for the
sake of best because best is unachievable.”
o Strauss - Republic as the greatest critique of idealism , a satire.
o Randall : Republic , a comic irony .
o Karl Popper, -’Open society and its enemies’ - Plato wanted himself to be the
Philosopher king.
• Supporters:
o Levenson - ‘The defence of Plato’- No definite basis to doubt Plato’s [Link] the
Laws, Plato made a theoretical shift → Rule of law → Aristotle’s ideal state (Rule of
Law) is Plato’s second best state (Sabine).

Plato as Fascist
• Winspear : blueprint by an authoritarian reactionary….
• Toynbee - Plato as being cynical, reactionary and inhumane
• C.E.M. Joad - similarities between Fascism and Plato’s tyrant state, but conceded that there
were fundamental differences too.
• Isaiah Berlin - historicism of Plato in “Historical Inevitability”
• Karl Popper - “Open Society and its Enemies.” calls Plato, Hegel and Karl Marx . Three
arguments.
o Essentialism. divorced us from the reality.
o Holism - sacrifices individual in the name of collectivity.
o Historicism - kyklos (life cycle of state)
• “I believe that Plato’s political programme far from being morally superior to
totalitarianism, is fundamentally identical with it” : Popper"
• Supporters
• Levenson " superficial comparison ,comparing uncomparables
• Rajiv Bhargav : Popper‘s analysis misleading and Popper is ideologically biased.

On democracy :anti – democratic

• Reasons: Socrate’s life, admiration for military discipline prevailing in Sparta , the rule
knowledge
• Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were essentially aristocratic conservatives, keen on revitalizing
and the aristocracy
• Democracy did not tolerate highly gifted persons; against nature.
Plato as first Feminist :P Queens, Despite coming from a highly patriarchal society, Matter of
debate: liberation of women vs utilization in the service of the state.

Theory of Education

• According to Plato, state is essentially Pedagogic.

• A process of filtration.
• Book - In Republic
• Influence
o Socratic belief that “virtue is knowledge”
o state-controlled education in Sparta, training in martial arts
o Athens values of creativity
• Plato’s Academy
• “Plato’s theory of education is the logical result of his theory of justice .” → Plato regards
education as a means to achieve justice, both individual justice and social justice
• Rousseau : Republic as the finest treatise on education to be ever written.
• “It offered a formula for dividing work and achieving harmonious cooperation” (Nettleship).

Universal Conclusion

• Legitimate Concern