Plato, The Republic of Plato Essay Example for Free

Plato, The Republic of Plato Essay I thought that Plato’s The Republic was very ambitious in its goals and for the most part, it made a lot of excellent observations about the dynamic of human nature. It is nearly amazing that Plato found things in the ancient times that were not only true in the context of his life, but true for human beings in every period of time. He hit upon the key, core values that each and every person cannot get away from, no matter what their role or place in society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first thing that I found interesting was Plato’s breakdown of society. Though many other parts of his work are transcendent across many different generations, this was one part that only applies to his time frame, or so it would seem. It is fitting that he overplays the role of the warrior in society, since that is what was important during his time. Because of this, his entire dynamic is thrown out of whack in context of how it might be viewed today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He did nail some important points in regards to the human spirit itself, though. By breaking it down into three categories, he made what should have been a difficult idea into one that was very easy to understand. In particular, I found it interesting how Plato addressed money as a motivator. I think that too many authors get caught up in the idea that money is at the root of a lot of actions. Plato, even back then, had it right that money is simply wanted as a means to an end. Most people who seek money do not do so just to have it. Instead, they want it so that they an satisfy the other primal desires that they cannot seem to shake. Plato is also correct that the rational part of a person must be the controlling factor if a person is going to be just. All too often, a person motivated by things or by emotions makes bad decisions and causes pain for others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is interesting to see who Plato praises in his republic and who he puts down. Predictably, he likes to laud the philosophers for their work for the greater good. Plato does not seem to spare any sort of self adulation in this respect. He believes that what he and his fellow philosophers are doing is right. I cannot fault him for this, though. If he did not think it was just, he should stop living his life this way. It was interesting, however, that he chose poets as the one group of people to completely put down in the book. After thinking about it, this is not all that surprising. Poets like to hit on exactly the opposite of what philosophers spend their life championing. They play to the emotional side of people, while the rational side is the most just. In a way, this is a commentary on what Plato finds important in his society. He does not want a bunch of indulgent creatures running around and he does not have any patience for people who go out promoting that type of badness. Instead, he is looking for a republic where people let their rational thoughts guide them to where they need to be. He recognizes emotion as a part of the human dynamic, but does not glorify its position like poets do. That was the most telling part of the entire book.