Plato’s The Republic Essay Example for Free

Plato’s The Republic Essay All philosophers write about something to address a particular issue which they feel need to be addressed.   The same is true in Plato’s The Republic.   Considering the political and social situation during 360 B.C.E, Plato was concerned about the deteriorating condition of Greece.   To be more particular, he was extremely concerned about the fate of his teacher, Socrates. Socrates was tried, and subsequently sentenced to death, for a crime that he did not commit.   Plato was also apprehensive about the individualist philosophy advocated by a famous group of philosophers called Sophists.    For the Sophists, the standard of what is good or evil depended on man alone without regard for the universal concepts of morality and justice. The individualist philosophy of the Sophists has affected the morals of the Greeks, to wit: â€Å"Sophistic teaching of the ethics of self-satisfaction resulted in the excessive individualism also induced the citizens to capture the office of the State for their own selfish purpose and eventually divided Athens in to two hostile camps of rich and poor, oppressor and oppressed. Evidently, these two factors amateur needlesomeness and excessive individualism became main targets of Platos attack.†   (Bhandari 2) Plato found a solution to free the society from the individualist philosophy of the Sophists.   This can be found in his book The Republic where Plato, speaking through his teacher Socrates, discussed the concepts of a just state and a just individual. According to Plato, Justice is â€Å"the minding of one’s own business and not meddling with other men’s concerns† (Book 4, The Republic).   He also said that Justice is Harmony.   (Book 4, The Republic)   In the same manner, there is injustice when a person does not mind his own business or minds other person’s business.   There is also injustice when there is discord and disharmony. In explaining the concept of Justice, Plato made two (2) analogies: his analogy on the parts of the state and the structure of the soul.   He argued that justice may exist not just in the state but also in the individual and that there is a relationship between a just state and a just individual. Plato argues that the state is formed because no individual is self sufficient.   He needs the help of other members of the society to perform some function of which he has no knowledge or expertise.   The continued existence of the society is dependent upon the individuals who specialize in the performance of certain affairs of the state.   Plato thus divided the state into three types of people: the workers, soldiers and the rulers each of which performs a particular function for the good of the whole society.   According to Kemerling, the orderly functioning of the state will depend on the separation of functions and the specialization of their individual tasks.   (Kemerling, p. 1). For example, the workers are those best suited to perform a particular labor for example the farmers, builders, weavers and laborers.   The soldiers are those people who are best suited to fight and defend the state against its aggressors.   The rulers on the other hand are those who possess wisdom and have the capacity to rule.   Plato considered that in an Ideal State each of these three kinds of people limit themselves to the performance of their functions.   A person who has the skill of a farmer should not be allowed to lead the state otherwise anarchy will result within the state.   An intellectual who is born to lead does not have the skill to build houses for the state. A person who has the skill in combat cannot be allowed to make laws for the state.   In addition, a just state is when each of the class possesses certain virtue: the working class possesses the virtue of temperance, the soldiers possess courage and the rulers possess wisdom.   Thus, according to Plato, â€Å"And a State was thought by us to be just when the three classes in the State severally did their own business; and also thought to be temperate and valiant and wise by reason of certain other affections and qualities of these same classes?† One may ask, who is a just man for Plato?   Plato’s concept of a just man is similar to his concept of a just state because essentially the same three divisions which exist in the state also exist in the individual.   If the society is divided into three (3) classes of persons, a person’s soul is likewise divided into three categories.   Plato made this analogy because he also believed that that the three parts of the human soul corresponds to the three classes of persons in the state. If it is better for a state that those who possess skill in manual labor to work and for those who possess skill in fighting to defend the state and for the intellectuals to lead the state, it is also better for the individual to control the desires of the other parts of the soul. If the society is divided into three groups of people, the soul is likewise divided into three parts, the appetitive, the spirited and the rational.   The appetitive is the part that hungers for worldly pleasures and wants and feels many things.   It is the part of the soul that yearns for wealth, power and material pleasures. Thus, the craving to eat burgers despite its hazards to health is a sign that a person gives in to the desires of the appetitive soul.   A person who decides to cut class to watch a movie or to play games also gives in to the appetitive soul.  Ã‚   For Plato, the goal of an individual is to develop the virtue of temperance and self-control. The spirited soul is the part of the soul that aims to carry out the dictates of reason.   It is the execution of whatever the intellect has determined to be the best for the person.   When a manager despite knowing that an employee is causing problems to the company because of his lack of professionalism fails to make the decision of terminating him, his spirited soul is considered weak.   For Plato, it is important for an individual to develop courage so that this part of the soul is controlled. The rational part is the thinking part which has the capacity to determine what is real and what are illusions or what is true and what is false or what should be done and what should not be done.   The rational part is also the part of the soul which makes the balanced decisions the purpose of which is the protection of its own interest and welfare.   When a person until now could not decide whom to vote for president of the United States, he is deemed to lack the rational soul.   When a person until could not decide whether to continue going to college, then his rational soul is weak. If justice in the state is to be attained by the three classes of individuals each performing their own function, justice in the individual person is to be attained by having temperance, courage, and wisdom. (Jostein Gaarder, Sophie’s World, p.72)   A person must have temperance and he is expected to be able to control his desire for worldly pleasures.   A person must also be able to distinguish between pleasures of the flesh and pleasures of the spirit.   The former is short-lived while the latter is eternal.   A person is also expected to have courage.   He must be able to take action and stand by his actions no matter how difficult it may be.   He must be able to take the risk.   A person must also develop wisdom so that he may know what is best for himself. According to Plato, justice can only be attained if every part of the soul is working in harmony with each other.   A person’s desire for wealth should not cloud his judgment.   A manager’s friendly relationship with a colleague should not hinder him from making the right decision.  Ã‚  Ã‚   A just man is therefore someone who can control the worldly pleasures and is able to discipline himself such that he does not submit himself to the wishes of his appetitive soul. Plato thus advocated self-mastery and discipline.   Ã‚  In controlling the appetitive soul, the rational soul is expected to ally with the spirited soul.  Ã‚   A person is also expected to be able to execute his decision.   He may have all the knowledge and wisdom in the world but if he cannot apply his knowledge to the practical world, then the person is also committing an injustice. In the end, the â€Å"justness† or the â€Å"injustness† of an individual will be determined based on how each of the different parts of the soul is able to relate with each other.   Thus Plato states that: â€Å"It will be the business of reason to rule with wisdom and forethought on behalf of the entire soul; while the spirited element ought to act as its subordinate ally.   The two will be brought into accord, as we said earlier, by that combination of mental and bodily training which will tune up one string of the instrument and relax the other, nourishing the reasoning part on the study of noble literature and allaying the other’s wildness by harmony and rhythm.† (Book 4, The Republic)

Strategic Management: Many Schools of Thought :: managers, management, business,

Management plays a significant role in how business operates. Strategic management has improved tremendously the last forty years. The diversity of approaches to the theoretical and practical background of management has come up with versions of what is meant by such key words as management and organization. The academia views expressed in relation to management theories take a different role than that prescribed to managers. Though there are several schools of thought ten dictate the current thinking on strategy. It ranges from the early stage of design and planning schools to the current cultural, learning and environmental Schools. The design school turns to examine Strategy formation as achieving and creating a match between the internal strength, weakness and the external threats and opportunities of the firm. It was based on the formulation of strategy from a deliberate process that was not formal nor informal, analytical nor intuitive. Within an era of dynamic change, it was unable to keep up to the pace and eventually further research started in trying to address its shortcomings The planning school Alongside the design school, the planning school grew in the strategic field. It is quite similar to the design school but argued that the formulation process of strategy was formal. It was grounded on the systems theory of the social sciences The positioning school In Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, meaning is given to strategy from a military point of view. It’s the representation of his work that is applied in firms in industries and in the evolution of the value chain analysis and the game theories. Drawing on military history and industrial organisational economies, its main theme was to analyse. Basically, it’s all about the facts and nothing but the fact. However, critics of this school contend that strategy is just positions through a formal way in which something is placed in relation to its surrounding The entrepreneurial school Not actually based on any discipline, some of its writings were borrowed from economics. Its strategic ideas was deeply rooted in intuition, moving strategy to an entirely new field of not clearly expressed vision though the concept of a leader with a vision was making grounds at that time. The cognitive School This school of thought saw strategic development as a mental process. It seeks to find out what occurs in the mind of strategists from a psychological point of view. If the strategy models developed in the minds of people, can we get to know how these minds function.

Are we too dependent on technology? Essay

Our ever-advancing technological world is subjected to both amazement and criticism. Technology has manifested itself into a form like a virus imprinted into us. As a result of which a question is posed to all of society, or those mainly in use of technology, are we too dependent on technology? There are those who believe that technology has taken over our daily lives, those who think that it only stands to benefit us and some who don’t think or care about its effects. The consensus that we are becoming too dependent on technology is one not so unbelievable. We all know for the most part that technology has integrated itself to just about everything that we do. For example, how many times do you check your phone, or go online to check your email or even play a video game. These are common examples of things we do daily without even realizing that these technologies have taken over our lives. Read more: People Have Become Overly Dependent on Technology Technology can be viewed as a beneficiary to our lives rather than monster waiting to bear its fangs. It goes without saying that technology has both greatly improved our lives by making it simpler. Yes, technology has deprived us of some skills such as doing simple chore but the benefits outweigh its cost. For instance, the invention of the phone has revolutionized the way we communicate with others worldwide. Technology is only meant to make our lives easier. Being on the fence is a simple concept to understand, simply just can’t pick a side or don’t. Simply there are those who enjoy the use of technology, those who find it deprives us of mental growth and those who don’t care what happens when it’s used. Though technology can have a strong grip on our lives we aren’t stupefied without it. The matters of whether technology controls us or benefits us shouldn’t make a difference on how we live. We choose to live life like this and may or may not have known what might have happened, but once chosen there is no turning back. Overall, society today has accepted all technologies in one form or another.

Minimum Wage And Philosophical Theories - 1374 Words

Minimum Wage and Philosophical Theories Ethical Egoist There are three different positions suggested on the issue of the minimum wage in the United States. First one is that it is best to not have any minimum wage and let the employers and employees decide. Second, the current minimum wage should not change and stay the same as it is. Third suggestion is that the U.S. should raise up the minimum wage up to certain about such as $15 an hour. Ethical egoism suggests that he or she has to make decisions based on what’s best for his or her interests and it is the only way to make decisions in the long run. Over the three different options given on the question of what the U.S. should do for the minimum wage, I believe ethical egoism supports the option of raising up the minimum wage. Let’s say the decision maker or one who has the biggest influence on making decisions for the question of minimum wage in the U.S. is the President Barack Obama and the majority of people want the minimum wage to be raised up. Also let’s assume that one of his best interests is satisfying his people by doing things that his people want especially those who are in need financially. Therefore, in this case, I believe that an ethical egoist would say that the president should support the idea of raising the minimum wage because pleasing his people who are in need of financial aid is one of his own interests and making decisions to do what’s best for his own interests is what he shouldShow MoreRelatedBarbara Ehrenreich s Nickel And Dimed1600 Words   |  7 PagesEhrenreich s novel was to present empirical and philosophical arguments against social policies associated with poverty and the ideologies surrounding it. 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