Athens' use of Delian Fund leagues to rebuild its acropolis
The Romans greatly admired and even copie d Greek art
The two central questions in Plato's Republic are, 'what is justice' and 'what is the relationship of justice to happiness?' These questions are important to Ancient Greece in the fourth century BCE because this is the period of the Peloponnesian War as well as the time of the Thirty Tyrants in Athens and tyrannical rule in other regions of Ancient Greece. Through tyranny, justice was not uniform and people outside of the tyranny were thought to be unhappy and often fearful.
The Republic by Plato is a text that describes the importance of being just in the world, and by being just, one is happy. It is a text that describes an ideal city and a way through which a just and philosophical governance can create happiness. Today, Plato's The Republic is an important part of the western literary canon. The text is still used in classrooms today because Plato asks the ultimate questions about justice and happiness, and the answers to those questions are ever-evolving. His text is also vital for learning to question what is in fact known. This questioning is a critical skill in all disciplines.
While Plato aimed to use mathematics and philosophy to help Dionysius II, he did not succeed because Dionysius II did not want to learn those concepts to be a good or just ruler. With his background and experience living in Athens during the time of the Thirty Tyrants (after the Peloponnesian War, around 404 BCE), the question that must be asked is why did Plato write The Republic?
Book Five resumes with virtue and vice where Book Four ended. Through this discussion, it is learned that both men and women can be guardians in the ideal city. Plato suggests that marriage and procreation should be communal and happen only at designated times during the year. The book ends with Socrates discussing the philosopher-king.
Plato also details the creation of a just city that has the following virtues or qualities that are shared by its people: moderation, courage, justice, and wisdom .
In Book Eight, Socrates defines the four other types of cities (those that are not the kallipolis): the timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyrannical city. All are inferior because they are ruled by uneducated and desire-focused souls.
The text is still used in classrooms today because Plato asks the ultimate questions about justice and happiness, and the answers to those questions are ever-evolving. His text is also vital for learning to question what is in fact known.
Plato: True knowledge is not something readily perceived by our senses. When we look at the world around us, we see inconsistencies and changes taking place constantly. Things are always moving and changing. Tides come and go, stars come out, only to flee again, rivers devour mountains, and even the hardest steel will collapse to rust. All living things age and die.
Plato: Well, I started a school of philosophy in his honor.
The Academy provided a safe forum, where one could ask questions and engage in philosophical debate without incurring the wrath of the state. Had Socrates been able to teach at the Academy, instead of harassing prominent men in the middle of the marketplace, he might well have avoided his death sentence.
They actually get quite upset when he tells them that their entire world is not real. In the end, the enlightened hero is killed by the very people he's trying to save.
They are only true in their shadowy prison, for they are based on their observation of an illusion. But the things the enlightened man knows are knowledge. They are universally true, for they are based on observations of the real world. Overall, our opinions constrain us while our perceptions deceive us.
Plato: But you can see it in your head.