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Justice in the city: each part of the city performing its natural function Justice in the individual: each part of the s

Justice in the city: each part of the city performing its natural function Justice in the individual: each part of the soul performing its natural function. . Socrates argues that the soul is divided into three parts, just like the city (reason, spirit and appetite).

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Justice in the city: each part of the city performing its natural function Justice in the individual: each part of the s

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  1. Justice in the city: each part of the city performing its natural function Justice in the individual: each part of the soul performing its natural function

  2. . • Socrates argues that the soul is divided into three parts, just like the city (reason, spirit and appetite). • Socrates claims that a person who is just in his sense will also act “justly”—not steal, murder, etc. • Is Socrates right?

  3. Going back to the City • What is the role of women in the ideal city? • What sort of sexual relations ought the upper classes have and how should their children be raised? • What is the true character of the guardian class?

  4. Role of Women • Socrates says the principle of specialization applies to women as well as men. Each woman will have the task they are by nature suited for. A person’s role in the city is determined by their soul, not by their sex ( cf. long haired vs. short haired men)

  5. Is Plato a proto-feminist? • In the ideal city roles will not be determined by gender. • But he makes clear he believes in fact women are, in general, inferior to men.

  6. What about children? • Analogy with Glaucon’s hunting dogs. • Only the best of the gold and silver souled will be allowed to reproduce, by means of a rigged “lottery.” • This will ensure that future generations will have the best characteristics of the preceding one. • What, if anything, is wrong with Socrates reasoning?

  7. How should the children be raised • They should be raised collectively. • No one will know who their biological parents or children are.

  8. Advantages of communal child raising • Eliminates favoritism based on blood ties • Encourages unity and cohesiveness • Avoids factionalism

  9. Some problems Children may need to bond with one person to be psychologically healthy Factionalism may still exist based on informal friend groups It is extremely hard for mothers to voluntarily give up their babies at birth

  10. Philosopher Kings • The last and final difficulty to confront Socrates: who will rule the city? • There will be no end of evils until philosophers become kings or kings learn to become philosophers • But most people will laugh at the idea that philosophers, of all people, will make the best rulers.

  11. What is philosophy? • But we need to know what philosophy really is to answer the question • Philosophy is the love of wisdom • A philosopher is insatiable for all kinds of learning.

  12. Glaucon: but in that case there will be some very strange philosophers– the lovers of sights and sounds. Festival goers. • Socrates: these are not philosophers but they are like philosophers.

  13. belief and Knowledge Belief and knowledge are powers. They are distinguished by their objects. Knowledge is about what is. Belief is about what both is and is not. What does this mean?

  14. belief • Belief is about facts or information. It aims at particular things • But particular things are contradictory—they both are and are not. • An object is beautiful—here and now, from this point of view • But is also not beautiful at another time, or from another point of view

  15. Heraclitus: You cannot step into the same river twice. • Cratylus: you cannot step into the same river ONCE. • Plato agreed with heraclitus: the sensible world is constantly changing. Change pervades the world of sense

  16. Knowledge • But knowledge is about what really is. What does not change, what is permanent. • If you understand the nature of beauty, what you understand or grasp simply is—it will not change. Sensible things come and go, beauty itself remains the same. It just is what it is.

  17. The philosopher is not a person who wants to accumulate lots of facts • The philosopher aims to understand general truth.s • “this is a picture of a circle”—this is a belief About a particular thing. Understanding the definition of a circle—that is knowledge.

  18. “Joe is a just person” this is a belief • Understanding what justice is—what it is in virtue of which Joe and every other just person is just—this is knowledge.

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