PLATO THE REPUBLIC BOOK 7
(514a-521d)
- book 6, Socrates provides the great metaphor of the allegory of the cave
- metaphor explains the effects of education on the human soul; it brings the
philosopher through various stages, ultimately to the Form of the Good
- Socrates describes a dark scene. A group of people have lived in a deep cave
since birth, never seeing the light of day. These people are bound so that they
cannot look to either side or behind them, but only straight ahead. Behind
them is a fire, and behind the fire is a partial wall.
- On top of the wall are various statues, which are manipulated by another
group of people, lying out of sight behind the partial wall. Because of the fire,
the statues cast shadows across the wall that the prisoners are facing.
- The prisoners watch the stories that these shadows play out, and because
these shadows are all they ever get to see, they believe them to be the most
real things in the world. When they talk to one another about “men,”
“women,” “trees,” or “horses,” they are referring to these shadows. These
prisoners represent the lowest stage on the line—imagination.
- End of book 7, p539 talks about the politics of the city; the amount of time
one should spend in the political realm (15 years); the duty of politicians to
serve knowledge to the people/those unaware of political realm
- why must the Kalop go through the stages (oligarchy, democracy, tyranny,
etc). p 546
- - why does the book end with the myth of earth plato has set himself up
with a great problem and the myth is a great solution to this
problemproblem: justice cant exist in the material realm, there has to be
something permanent in the just realm the form of the truths sets up this
permanent realm
PLATO THE REPUBLIC BOOK 8
- 437a-437b important note
- Socrates says that along with the philosopher-king who symbolizes and
embodies,
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