Plato’s Republic

• LO: To know what Plato thought Justice wasStarter: In each situation, explain what you would do, and why:

1. Your teacher tells you to stay in breaktime to discuss your overdue homework, but you’re really hungry. Do you:A. Listen, and think about how to do your

homework better next timeB. Run off to the canteen so you don’t miss the

good foodC. Argue back at the teacher

2. You have been on a diet. You are starving with hunger, and walking home. You will probably collapse if you don’t eat something. You find a chocolate bar in your bag that is one day past its Use-by date.

A. Think carefully about whether the chocolate will kill you

B. Eat the chocolateC. Stick to your diet, and throw the

chocolate away

3. You are on a Duke of Edinburgh camping trip. You are tired, hungry, and want to go home. Do you:

A. Think – it’s much more sensible to go home to my nice warm bed, and spend more time on my maths homework

B. Use my mobile (forbidden!) to order in pizza.

C. Stick to the original rules and purpose of the expedition

Are you:

• Mostly A – you use the thinking part of your soul too much

• Mostly B – you follow your appetites too much• Mostly C – you use your will-power too much• A mixture – congratulations! You have a well-

balanced soul!

The Soul

• Plato thought the soul had three parts:1. Thinking 2. Appetite3. Will power

• A good person is a person who keeps the right balance between those three parts of the soul

A. Listen, and think about how to do your homework better next time

B. Run off to the canteen so you don’t miss the good food

C. Argue back at the teacher

Who was Plato?

• Lived around 2400 years ago (380 BCE)• Possibly the most important thinker ever

– His pupil, Aristotle, (on the right), is the only person who even came close!

– Lived in ancient Athens (Greece)– Founded the first university

The Soul

• Draw onto your diagram the three parts of the soul, according to Plato. Draw a picture to represent each one.

Three separate parts of a person’s soul

Three separate parts of a just society

The ideal society

• Plato said that the ideal society was like a person, and had similar three parts:– The rulers (who think)– The producers (who satisfy people’s appetites)– The warriors (who have the will-power to defend the city)

• A just society is one where the different parts of society are well balanced, and don’t interfere with each other.

Other conditions• The city should be ruled by philosophers• Philosophers should be forced to rule, even if they don’t

want to.• The city should only teach stories which make people

behave correctly (don’t teach ‘immoral’ ones!).• Everyone gets the same education• The ruling class shouldn’t be rich• Men and women mostly equal• Oh, and children are taken away from their parents at birth

to be educated (no favourites…)

The city

• On your diagram, draw stick-men representing the three types of people according to Plato.

• Draw lines connecting them to the parts of the soul

• What is the point of this analogy? • What do you think of it?

Three separate parts of a person’s soul

Three separate parts of a just society

Your turn

• Two teams: Athens & Sparta• I shall split each team into 3 groups• Each group has to take on the role of one

part of the just society

Philosopher-Kings

• You must come up with a set of laws on how your kingdom should be run

• What sort of education should people get? Which subjects should be dropped?

Warriors

• You should draw up a strategy on how to defend the kingdom if it is attacked

• How many bases do you need?• What sort of weapons should you get?• How will you train?

Producers

• You must decide what food and goods you will produce

• What sort of crops will you grow?• What are the most important types of factories?• How big should the shops be? Corner shops or

massive Lidls? Or a mixture?

Reflection

• Which team would Plato say had the most just society?

• Why?

Can you be a philosopher-king?

• Can you explain what you think justice is?• Explain what Plato said, and why you

agree/disagree with him.• The best person will be forced to be king

(or queen).