POLS 2900 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Oligarchy, Ancient Greek, Mating System
25 Jun 2018
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POLS 2900 - Perspectives on Politics: Classics of Western Political Thought
PLATO ā THE REPUBLIC
September 12
BOOK 1
A way of dialogue
Socratic elenchus ā a dialogue or an exchange of views
In ancient city-states ā religion is part of the state; there is no separation of church and state
Reading: The Apology ā a good representation of what Socrates said
In The Republic: there are more ideas and knowledge of Plato as the author than Socrates
Platoās brothers ā Glaucon and Adeimantus
Aristocrats
Democracy
Social classes exist
Demos ā the people with full political rights ā regular citizens
People who are left out of the demos include:
Women
Slaves
Barbarians
Foreigners
Foreigners were an important part of the Aristocracy but they are not citizens
Function is to do business in the society
Tension between citizens and aristocrats ā demos would be excluded from politics
Plato had ties to the 30 tyrants
Polemarchus ā a resident ā became a philosopher ā killed by the 30 tyrants
A son of Cephalus
From Syracuse
Manufacturer of weapons
Oldest character
Thrasymachus ā a foreigner ā sophist ā taught the art of rederic
Persuasive speaking
In ancient Athens redirect is important because of how society operates
All focus is based on emotion
Prominent belief that power lies in speech ā the way it is articulated
Piraeus ā port of Athens
New ideas
People from the outside of Athens would come through the Piraeus
Something new in the text
Polemarchus reply is important
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Could you persuade men who do not listen
Reason has no power unless the mind is open to it
Reason is a threat to philosophers and philosophy
Book 1 Key Factors
Conventional wisdom of the day ā found in the great poems
Justice as an objective universal good
Sophists
Mere appearance ā determined by the rulers of the city
Where does justice lie?
Cephalus
No amount of money amounts for defects in character
A rich man is not at peace with himself
MORAL EXCELLENCE
Good and orderly man does not cheat others (quote)
Socrates
Changes the deļ¬nition into right or justice
To be just is not to behave under a set of rules
Not by following rules because a bad person can follow rules
Socrates asks Cephalus if it is right or just to return weapons to a friend gone mad
CONCEPT ā CONVENTIONAL WISDOM
It is just to give each person what he is owed
If you deserve something then it is owed to you
Polemarchus: what is just is what to do what is good to people (WARRIORS CODE)
Why do we think that justice requires knowledge?
Socrates: justice is a craft ā specialized by knowledge that some people donāt have
Specialized knowledge can go one of two ways ā negative or positive
For example: physicians know how to care for and how to heal the body
However they could also be great assassins because they know the bodyās weakness
Socrates must show that conventional wisdom is wrong
It is wrong to harm anyone including the enemy
Harming anything or anyone makes anything worse
Harming a person who is unjust makes the person more unjust
Polemarchus
Agrees that justice is excellence
Character should increase/ relate to justice
Not just to do harm to anyone
September 14
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Platitudes
Cephalus
To pay ones depts.
Cannot be an adequate understanding of what justice is
Polemarchus
To do to each what is owed
Do good to your friends ā do bad to your enemies
Justice is a virtue
Thrasymachus ā Sophist
Doesnāt care to talk about virtue
Politics is about power ā to have the power to do what you want
Justice has to do with rulers ā āthe advantage of the strongerā ā the people who rule in the Polis
Laws they make serve the advantage of the ruler
A true ruler ā someone that knows their power and their advantage
Ruler is not a ruler if he mistakes his own advantage
Doctor analogy
Rulers should secure their own advantage
Socrates
Rules use their knowledge of how to rule to beneļ¬t the city not themselves
Most people agree with Thras
Everyone is looking out for himself or herself
Self interest
Unjust bc you donāt conform to the law and the rulers deļ¬ne justice by abiding to the law
If you want to secure your own advantage you have to break the law
Rulers are not looking out for you ā they are looking out for themselves
Thrasymachus
The person who doesnāt abide by the law and looks out for themselves will ļ¬ourish ā their lives will be
better than those who follow the law
Injustice is more proļ¬table than justice
Socrates
Medicine: directly beneļ¬ts the patient weather or not the physician is paid
Craft of ruling ā beneļ¬ts the ruled and not the rulers
Incentive ā may be a form of penalty on those who rule
Socrates explains that the best people donāt love money or honour
Reason they consent to rule is to avoid the penalty to be ruled by someone by less ability or bad
character
A city of everyone with the best people ā no one would want to rule
Wrongdoing or injustice is self-defeating
Justice and righteousness brings people together and unites them in friendship
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Pols 2900 - perspectives on politics: classics of western political thought. Socratic elenchus a dialogue or an exchange of views. In ancient city-states religion is part of the state; there is no separation of church and state. Reading: the apology a good representation of what socrates said. In the republic: there are more ideas and knowledge of plato as the author than socrates. Demos the people with full political rights regular citizens. People who are left out of the demos include: Foreigners were an important part of the aristocracy but they are not citizens. Function is to do business in the society. Tension between citizens and aristocrats demos would be excluded from politics. Polemarchus a resident became a philosopher killed by the 30 tyrants. Thrasymachus a foreigner sophist taught the art of rederic. In ancient athens redirect is important because of how society operates. Prominent belief that power lies in speech the way it is articulated.
