Greg Mason 24653675

How successfully does Socrates develop and argue for a three-class division of the ideal city? Introduction: The purpose of this essay is to discuss how successfully Socrates argues his design of an ideal city. I will initially outline the ideal state that Socrates creates in The Republic and then develop arguments for and against the three-class system. Finally I will way up these arguments and draw a conclusion on the matter. Outline of the three class system: In Book 2 of The Republic, Socrates begins to plan a perfectly just city as he tries to define justice, as well as proving that it is beneficial. He starts by explaining that each individual should carry out the role in the city that he is best suited to and not any other in order to benefit the city. Socrates then sets out a healthy city in which individuals supply only the necessities of life for the whole state. Glaucon however believes that this is only fit for pigs and that humans have further desires that need to be fulfilled. Socrates follows this by explaining that a city with wealth beyond the bare necessities of life will need guardians as this will lead to war. These must be different from the original class of producers due to the principle of specialisation that the state is built on. Later in Book 2 and in Book 3, Socrates emphasises the importance of the upbringing of the guardians. He believes that their education should be closely controlled by the state and suggests only art that will encourage them to behave courageously and in interest of the city as a whole should be permitted. Socrates then outlines the third class in society, the rulers. This class is formed by taking the best of the guardians after a series of tests that examines bravery and loyalty to the state. The guardians in the city are not allowed to hold private property and all their needs are provided by the state. Socrates defines political justice as where all citizens carry out the role to which they are best suited and hence declares the state just, as it abides to this law of specialisation. Evaluation of the three class system: One of the strengths of the city that Socrates has created is that the upbringing of the guardians is monitored with great detail. Here Socrates realises that although guardians should have genes that cause them to act courageously and loyally from their parents (who will usually also be guardians), their education will also help shape their behaviour to prevent them from acting in a way that harms the state. One aspect of the guardians education that Socrates has outlined is that they should not be afraid of death for example he says Then we shall be right in getting rid of the lamentations of famous men (The Republic, book 3). This explains that people should not grieve over the death of role models, as this portrays death as something to be feared even by heroes (famous men). Furthermore, Socrates decides that gods should always be shown as good and hence popular stories and art that show otherwise should be banished. Also quotes such as: the young man should not be told that in committing the worst of crimes he is far from doing anything outrageous (The Republic, book 2) acknowledges that young guardians should not be exposed to stories that fail to show consequences to actions. Socrates is wise to ensure that in the guardians education gods and warriors are shown to be brave and act in favour of the state because humans learn by association and imitating others. Psychological research that is relevant in the modern day has shown that children especially copy the actions performed by role models in media such as television. For example in a study called the

Greg Mason 24653675

Bobo doll experiment. It was found that children imitated the aggressive behaviour towards a doll by adults (role models) that was shown to them in a film (Bandura et al 1963 via Cardwell et al 2008). When Socrates is explaining to Glaucon that appropriate messages should also be present in music (which along with stories are the closest equivalent to television and film in the modern day) the quote he will justly blame and hate the bad, now in the days of his youth, even before he is able to know the reason why; and when reason comes he will recognise and salute the friend with whom his education has made him long familiar (The Republic, book 3) shows that Socrates recognises children will imitate the behaviour of the Heroes and Gods. Therefore by tailoring the nature of the education the guardians should grow up to put the city before themselves; which is vital for the city in order to produce the best warriors and the best rulers. Socrates decides that no formal set of laws are needed in the city. This is illustrated in the quote I said, that the true legislator will not trouble himself with this class of enactments whether concerning laws or the constitution (The Republic, book 4). He believes that rulers will be educated well enough to decide the nature of punishments on the spot. One potential flaw in this however is that although rulers are trained in the same way, they may not all in reality have the same ability and different rulers are likely to interpret situations differently. This can be likened in the modern day to referees in sport as although all are trained to the same standards, they often make different decisions due to their own judgements. Therefore a possible flaw in Socrates doing this is a possibly unfair justice system as even the finest rulers may not be as effective as a clear set of laws and punishments. Because of this it may be more useful to produce a set of guidelines for the rulers. In the three class division, the producers provide all the goods for the city, and in return the auxiliaries and rulers protect the state. This is outlined when Socrates is discussing the lifestyle of the auxiliaries with the quote: they should agree to receive from the citizens a fixed rate of pay, enough to meet the expenses of the year and no more (The Republic, book 3). This can be seen as strength of Socrates state. This is because it means the guardians do not need to hold private property; which according to Socrates would lead to a sort of happiness which will make them anything but guardians (The Republic, book 4) and cause them to abuse their authority. However, the philosopher does not take into account what may happen if in one year, there is a particularly bad harvest and there is not enough food for the city or equally if the auxiliaries loose a battle. In which circumstances, the trade between the classes may become unbalanced leading to one class being unhappy about the amount they are receiving compared to the amount they are contributing to the city. This could lead to a protest or rebellion which could collapse the state. In order to prevent rebellions like this, as well as dispute over who should rule, Socrates encourages lies to be told to citizens such as the myth of the metals. This explains that the people were born from the earth and are hence all brothers and sisters. Because of this they should protect their mother (the state) and treat all citizens as their siblings. Furthermore the myth outlines that people have one of three metals mixed in their soul: gold, bronze or silver for rulers, auxiliaries and producers respectively. The population is told that the city will be ruined if the state is ruled by someone who is mixed with a metal other than gold. The myth rebuffs loyalty to the city and discourages disputes between the divisions. In order to prevent the guardians from contesting the rule that they are not allowed private property Socrates also proposes a lie that handling earthly gold or silver pollutes the gold and silver in their souls. This is apparent with the quote: the diviner metal is within them, and they have therefore no need of the dross which is current among men (The Republic, book 3). One major flaw in these myths; however is that they are quite superficial and hence the citizens may not believe them. This may be especially the case in the well educated guardians. This is conceded by Socrates himself when he agrees that it would be impossible to persuade the current population

Greg Mason 24653675

but possibly the later generations (The Republic, Book 3). Therefore the reinforcement of loyalty to the state that holds the city together may not be possible through the myths Socrates tells. Socrates explains that justice in terms of a state is where all citizens complete the job that they are most suited too. Because he is attempting to create a just city, the principle of specialisation is the central theme in the building of the state. The city abiding to this law is a strength not only because it makes it just, but because of the benefits associated with specialisation. Division of labour tends to increase production and efficiency because if each person only takes on one role, they will become better at this particular job over time. However a possible disadvantage of specialisation and hence the three class division system is that if one part of production is flawed then the whole production line can be slowed down. Another positive aspect of the state is that Socrates includes women in the same productive roles as men. Furthermore he believes women should also have the same education and training e.g. Then women must be taught music and gymnastic and also the art of war, which they must practise like the men? (The Republic, Book 4). This should increase production in the city as there will be more workers. Also more guardians and rulers should increase the protection and regulation of the state compared to if only men were involved in these roles. Then again Socrates shows no interest in liberating women as such, and implies they are generally inferior to men and his casual remarks reveal a streak of unregenerate sexism and misogyny. (Boucher and Kelly, 2003, p. 65). Which suggests the extent that women will be treated equally in the state may be limited. Conclusion: One the one hand, the three class system is a success. This is because Socrates creates a city where each job is completed by a specialist in the area including the rulers and auxiliaries. This helps to ensure the city is at its most productive. Socrates also promotes loyalty to the city via education. However, the lack of personal freedom may be seen as a flaw in the city. Although Socrates argues that close monitoring is needed for the good of the state, individual enjoyment suffers. This therefore asks the question can an ideal state have such a low emphasis on the interests of the individual, or does prioritising the city as a whole ensure the happiness of the citizen? Furthermore although Socrates intends there to be strong loyalty and peace between the divisions; this is largely held together by lies to the citizens. This is inconsistent with Socrates high valuation of the truth which can be seen with quotes such as Is not to have lost the truth an evil, and to possess the truth a good? (The Republic, Book 4). Then again, Socrates explains that a lie such as the myth of the metals is a verbal lie which does not in fact mislead reason about the good (Boucher and Kelly, 2003, p. 63) but instead ensures that people act in interest of the state. Overall, Socrates has developed what could potentially be a very prosperous state, with underlying themes of specialisation and high quality education. However it is questionable whether an ideal city is one where personal freedom has a low priority and it is necessary to lie to citizens to ensure their loyalty. References: Boucher, D. and Kelly, P. (2003) Political Thinkers: From Socrates to the Present. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p.63, 65. Cardwell, M. et al. (2008) Psychology A2 For AQA A. 4th ed. London: Collins.

Greg Mason 24653675

Classics.mit.edu (1994) The Internet Classics Archive | The Republic by Plato. [online] Available at: http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.html [Accessed: 22 Apr 2012].