A Deep Dive into Plato's Political Philosophy: Relevance Today

This essay delves into Plato's political philosophy, emphasizing the concept of a just city aimed at cultivating virtue among its inhabitants through a controlled environment and a robust education system. It highlights Plato's psychological assumptions regarding human malleability and innate differences, as well as the enduring relevance of his ideas. The essay also explores Plato's 'allegory of the cave,' which underscores the importance of philosophical reasoning over sensory knowledge and highlights the necessity of education and critical media consumption for a successful democracy. The work references key texts and scholarly interpretations to provide a comprehensive overview of Plato's political thought and its continued significance.

Running head: PLATO'S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
PLATO'S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
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The republic has been the most read dialogue of Plato since the mid-nineteenth century.
The essence of Plato’s political theory can be stated as straightforward. The just city’s primary
purpose is to make its inhabitants virtuous as much as possible. Therefore, everything that is
possible to achieve this done. The consequence of it is entirely controlled environment in which
every resource is devoted in order to inculcate the virtue. The education system is the city’s
primary institution. The inclusion of Plato's popular system of communism, the other institutions
are proposed to provide a setting that would carry the task of education successfully. The city is
consists of three classes, farmers, auxiliaries and the rulers. Plato has two basic psychological
assumptions regarding the city’s structure and its educational function1. According to Plato,
people are highly malleable therefore an environment plays a vital role in their bringing up. Also,
there are fundamentals that innate differences between people2. Thus, even with all the
capabilities of the just city that can achieve the highest level of virtue, there will still be
differentiation in the level of virtue. The facts reflected his dialogues is an eternal truth and it
applicable till today, this is what pulls the attention of many scholars till today. Plato is unusual
and incomparable when he is spoken about in the political philosophy. The points presented by
him are a matter of concern even today. Education indeed is a tool for achieving the highest
virtue that can lead society to significant growth in terms of every aspect. It is the emphasis on
the psychological effects of art that is most attractive including the social class and the reality of
human behaviour. The essence of Plato's philosophy describes the society with a logic that is
underlined with simplicity and truth.
The “allegory of the cave’ is a theory developed by Plato that revolves around human
perception. According to Plato knowledge obtained through the senses do not mean more than an
1 Lilla, Mark. The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics: Revised Edition. New York Review of Books, 2016.
2 Russell, Bertrand. History of western philosophy: Collectors edition. Routledge, 2013.

2PLATO'S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
opinion. Therefore, in order to gain knowledge one must know do it through philosophical
reasoning. Plato presents the differentiation between individuals who tend to believe sensory
knowledge as the truth and individuals who actually see the truths3. The philosophy has five
concepts, the cave, the shadows, the game, the escape and the return. The allegory teaches many
things with simple logic. In today’s world, the importance of education can be understood
through this particular theory4. Two important lessons obtained from the allegory that represents
the need for media and education. In order to have a successful democracy, education is
essential. Until people get the education, they will fail to get the knowledge and remain in the
cave. An educated population is required to understand the right and wrong of the system with
rational thinking. The allegory also helps in understanding the media’s role in the voting
population. People who were strapped to the side of the cave only saw what the people behind
them wanted them to see. In the same way, it is essential for people to understand and think
about the things they see through the lens of media. The modern press comes as a filter with
political news, law-makers and the general population. Therefore, prior to reaching any opinion
or judgment, it is essential to think and analyses about political news.
3 Malsch, Bertrand. "Politicizing the expertise of the accounting industry in the realm of corporate social
responsibility." Accounting, Organizations and Society 38, no. 2 (2013): 149-168.
4 Herman, Arthur. The cave and the light: Plato versus Aristotle, and the struggle for the soul of western civilization.
Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2014.

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References:
Herman, Arthur. The cave and the light: Plato versus Aristotle, and the struggle for the soul of
western civilization. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2014.
Lilla, Mark. The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics: Revised Edition. New York Review of
Books, 2016.
Malsch, Bertrand. "Politicizing the expertise of the accounting industry in the realm of corporate
social responsibility." Accounting, Organizations and Society 38, no. 2 (2013): 149-168.
Russell, Bertrand. History of western philosophy: Collectors edition. Routledge, 2013.