Plato's Idea on Ethics and Politics Essay Example

Introduction

Ethics is a dimension that deals with both men and women in our daily life. Ethics are like customs that are brought up in our daily relationship between communities and people. When groups of people come together they come up with new ways of living. These ways may include: who will be responsible for various tasks and how everyone will be responsible of each other. These things are customs and which later becomes ethics. On the other hand, politics is an ideal situation where people have already freed from work and have dominated the command of transformation of nature, which has been founded on new ethics Arendt (47).

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There are two philosophers who discussed the issue on the relationship between ethics and politics. One was Plato and the other was Aristotle. Plato discussed the issue of just and unjust. In Plato's book it is clear that justice and why people should be just makes politics successful. Aristotle had it in mind that the greatest human persistence activity is the use of a reason in theoretical activities (Jeon, np). He was known for his idea of avoid extremes, the counsel in modulate in all things. Between these two philosophers I find Plato more persuasive on this issue.

Plato's idea on ethics and politics

Plato focuses on one simple question whether it's better to be just or unjust? He gave an example of a good city that always practiced justice. This city would help in the definition of justice as a moral virtual of human life. Justice is seen as a personal virtue. He argues that for one to have a possible principle must practice justice. In his books he is able to prove that it's better to be just than unjust this out view makes it clear that Plato greatly contributes to the idea of ethics. He links his discussion on what virtue justice is and how people should learn and practice to be just with personal justice that gives an explanation on the good and bad cities and how they are always arranged.

In the account of how knowledge can rule is explained by the question how a just person and a just city are principle possible. The article provides guidelines on the issue of politics and ethics. It says that both politics and ethics shape an organization. In a republic politics is based on the moral values that are also knowns as ethics. It explains that for a city to be successful and happy it must be just. If justice is not practiced, then nothing will be achieved and also the people will not be able to live in a community of peace. Socrates' ways rely on the analysis made between a person and a city. There must be a great relationship that makes both successful. Justice accounts and applies in all cases. Plato claims that justice is a personal virtue and for one to be happy he or she must be just not unjust.

According to Plato justice is a cardinal human virtual. Socrates' discuss how to educate those who guide a perfect city for it offers a different perspective. Education is offered in a way that inappropriate images of human being and gods are not exposed to the future young guardians. The young refer good things as honorable which makes them become good and perfect. Plato suggests that if a young is well educated he can strain the spirit part of the soul and the information may be deeply preserved. He also suggests that motivation to practice what is right that is acquired in the early moral education. When this is built inside the soul later on it may become perfectly just. Socrates assumes that everyone who is just must have been raised well and he or she must always do what is right. This early education which is not described as knowledge is linked to the psychological justice and also doing or practicing what is just.

There are ways of linking the psychological justice to just actions. These ways include the power of knowledge is depending on training early for the young by a wide range of people. If these ways work, then Plato is right to be just and not unjust. This is proved by the importance of living in harmony. An unjust soul is ruined. He provides with the four defectives of psychology (Rosen np). These constitute of the imperfect kind of pure psychology includes: rule by spirit attitude, appetitive attitude, rule by unnecessary appetitive altitude and lawless appetitive attitude. The Socrates wonders who lives the best life.

Arguments are based on who lives the best life. Is it the just or the unjust? The just are always the most unfortunate but still practice justice are better than those who are perfect but still practice injustice. In the books there are resources that provide information that explains why it is better not to be a lucky philosopher than to be a lucky tyrant. It also explains importance of being just than being unjust (Allen, np). This may provide a good and general lesson. If someone is guided by lawlessness the person is enslaved and may not be able to do his actions freely. He is always in fear, regret and instability. If anyone is ruled by unlimited appetite, he or she is controlled by unsatisfied desire. These desires appear not to be satisfied in any ways. One will have the inability to do what he wants for he never receives satisfaction. One also has a misery which is rooted in unlimited attitude which demands for what one cannot achieve.

Republic contributed to politics in two ways and they include: the disputed features of Socrates good city. Critics say the idea of Plato's politics rests on a picture of human being that is not real. Human cannot create and sustain an ideal city. Plato describes three cities, the first every person should perform tasks that suits them well. He says one can have orderly appetitive attitude if he is guided and ruled by a reason. This city is seen as a free standing city where people are harmoniously satisfied.

Conclusion

In conclusion to this we see that Plato's discussion on the relationship between ethics and politics is proved in the work above. Plato proves the great connection between politics and ethics in his books. We see that ethics is that moral that one is taught from his childhood and throughout the life. If those rules are given to a child at a younger age the more likely is the information on the customs is to be store for a long time. In ethics there are also some pure rules that guide all individuals into achieving what is best for their lives. Those rules if followed make one live in harmony among people with no fear of doing anything and also with the satisfaction. Justice helps so much in keeping the community together and having a good relationship between people and if this is well achieved it helps so much in achieving good politics. With this one can conclude that Plato is more persuasive than Aristotle.

Works cited

Allen, R.E. Plato. The Republic, New Haven: Yale University press, 2006.

Benson, S. A companion to Plato. Oxford: Blackwell, 2006.

Jeon, H. The Interaction between the just city and its citizens in Plato republic, 2014.

Lorenz, H. The Brute Within: Appetitive desire in Plato and Aristole, Oxford: Clarendon, 2006.

Rosen, C. Plato's republic: A study, new haven: Yale university press, 2005