IB Philosophy
Plato’s Republic
Mr. Leo
Fall 2015
1
Plato’s Republic Book V Packet ( points)
Week 12 Schedule: November 30-December 4
Date
To-Do Items
In
Class:
Intro
to
Book
V; Article + Discussion
Monday, November 30
Questions
Tuesday, December 1
Homework: Read 127-135; Notes; Discussion
Questions; Interpretive Question; Finish Book IV
Writing Assignment
In class: Discussion 127-135
Homework: 136-140; Notes; Discussion Questions;
Interpretive Question; Finish Book IV Writing
Assignment
Wednesday, December 2
In Class: Discussion 136-140
Homework: 136-140; Notes; Discussion
Questions; Interpretive Question; Finish Book
IV Writing Assignment
Thursday, December 3
In Class: Discussion 141-146
SUBMIT BOOK IV WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Homework: Write one interpretive question
for Socratic Seminar on Friday
Friday, December 4
In Class: Socratic Seminar; Unit 2 Summative
Assessment Return (Revision Policy for the
Visuals/Movie Posters)
Homework: Read 152-156; Write on
interpretive question related to the passage
IB Philosophy
Plato’s Republic
Mr. Leo
Fall 2015
2
November 30, 2015: Plato’s Republic, Book V
(I)
Bell Ringer #1 (5 points): How would you define gender equality? Do we live in a society
with gender equality? Explain your answer.
(II)
In-Class Reading: Make sure you annotate the passage while reading. We will answer
discussion in small groups after finishing the reading.
Introduction: Republic V and Equality amongst Men and Women
At the beginning of Book V of Republic Plato indicates the need to overcome some obstacles, named by the phrase "the
three waves," related to the configuration of the ideal state. The first wave refers to the possibility of admitting women in
the class of guardians and brings about the issue concerning the differences between man and woman. Taking the dog as
comparison, Socrates believes that, as in the case of female dog that accompanies the male dog to hunting or guarding the
flock, women should not be excluded from the category of guardians. The only difference between man guard and woman
guard is that the latter is weaker and she should perform lighter tasks. So if the women are to be used for the same things as
men, they should receive the same education: the art of Muses and gymnastics. Socrates continues his argumentation
showing that the female and male nature is not different, because the differences in nature do not have their causes in
gender, but in the particularities of the soul. To divide the human nature according to gender is the same thing with parting
human nature according to bald men and hairy men. Gender has no relevance in the differences amongst men, women and
their skills: (1)
if it appears that the male and the female sex have distinct
qualifications for any arts or pursuits, we shall affirm that they
ought to be assigned respectively to each. But if it appears that
they differ only in just this respect that the female bears and the
male begets, we shall say that no proof has yet been produced that
the woman differs from the man for our purposes, but we shall
continue to think that our guardians and their wives ought to
follow the same pursuits.
There is no art related to the management of the city proper only to women or men, as, in general, there is no art a priori
proper only to one gender or another. Consistent with the argument that different natures perform different arts, then, if one
accepts that men and women have different natures, then we should accept that they can not share the same art. But then we
meet the funny situation where if the bald men are, for example, shoemakers, this art would not be permitted for the hairy
men to perform, and vice versa. So the identical and different human nature must be redefined, not dependent on bodily
accidental aspects, but spiritual essential ones. And gender difference is the accidental one.
The ease with which one learns an art, and not one's gender, is a sign of the difference amongst the people. That there are
differences in degree depending on arts, in which a man is more skilled than a woman, or vice versa, but this does not
IB Philosophy
Plato’s Republic
Mr. Leo
Fall 2015
3
involve generalizations about the radical distinctions among the arts performed by one gender or another. Thus, for weaving
or housework, such as cleaning and cooking, woman is more skilled than man. As a general statement, there is no art proper
only to women or men, and this affirmation is valid also for art of ruling the state. (2)
Then there is no pursuit of the administrators of a state that
belongs to a woman because she is a woman or to a man because he is
a man. But the natural capacities are distributed alike among both
creatures, and women naturally share in all pursuits and men in
all--yet for all the woman is weaker than the man.
So, there are women suitable for medicine, likewise there are women unsuitable for the same art. It is established a
correspondence between human nature and art proper to it, but gender is irrelevant in this correspondence, like all features
related to body.
Why Plato Asserted the Equality amongst Men and Women in Republic V?
One raises the question why Plato asserted gender equality in Republic, strictly within the discourse about the structure of
ideal state, and how can be explained this passage by comparison with the other texts about gender inequality. Why the
only text that states men and women are equal appears in the examination of ideal state? An analysis of dialogue topics may
provide the answer to the question. The research of the nature of justice in individual soul and then, by extension, in the
whole state, is the fundamental task that Plato assumes in his writing. This analysis requires the use of the specific
instruments of Plato's philosophy and, especially, the doctrine about the parts of the soul and the role of the intellect in
ordering the other parts that are influenced by the body.
Plato deals with the function of the intellect and the other parts of soul in Republic and the myth of Phaedrus. In Republic
Plato indicates that the aspects of the soul are the same with the ones of the state, (9) temperance, courage and wisdom of
the state being found in the individual soul. So, in its functional aspects, the soul is divided in three parts: the rational part
(logistikon), the appetitive part (epithymetikon) and the spirited part (thymoeides). The rational is the aspect of soul that
calculates and the spirited is the part that is related to the ability of anger. The appetitive, described as irrational, is the most
difficult to control it by mind, while the spirited, usually, becomes the ally of the mind against the desires of the body that
contrast to it. (10) Justice as the supreme virtue in the individual soul is described similarly to the justice in the state, each
part doing its own task: the rational along with the spirited, as additional, ordering to the appetitive. Justice means ensuring
the unity of the soul by each part keeping its own function, (11) while injustice means the split of the parts by the tentative
of one of them committed to mind to undertake the control of the whole. (12)
The same parts of the soul and the same description of each of them appear, in an allegoric form, in the myth of Phaedrus.
The soul is represented as a composite that includes two winged horses and a charioteer. (13)
We will liken the soul to the composite nature of a pair of winged
horses and a charioteer. Now the horses and charioteers of the gods
are all good and of good descent, but those of other races are
mixed; and first the charioteer of the human soul drives a pair,
and secondly one of the horses is noble and of noble breed, but the
other quite the opposite in breed and character. Therefore in our
IB Philosophy
Plato’s Republic
Mr. Leo
Fall 2015
4
case the driving is necessarily difficult and troublesome.
The different nature of the two types of souls leaves its mark on how they manage to reach the divine place and
contemplate the authentic reality (Forms), divine soul having this benefit, (14) while the others have a more difficult task,
"for the horse of evil nature weighs the chariot down, making it heavy and pulling toward the earth the charioteer whose
horse is not well trained." (15) The bad horse, the symbol of the appetitive, seems to have a natural aversion to mind and,
also, an attraction of the same kind to the earthly existence. (16) So, there are three kinds of souls: (17) some that reach
Forms, the others that reach only partially Forms and the vast majority, forming a third category, that fail to see Forms at
all. (18) Voided of the contemplation of Being and remaining to the level of opinion, the souls grow heavy, lose their wings
and fall to the earth, each one embodying in a mortal being according to its view of Forms. (19) Regaining wings involves
passing through a series of earthly existences, from where the soul can escape only by practicing philosophy and
rediscovering the knowledge gained by soul before the fall. (20) One also involves the charioteer's mastering, along with
good horse, of the bad horse, (21) the plastic picture of the definition of justice described in Republic.
Therefore, justice in individual soul is achieved by the rule of the rational that removes from the soul any influence of the
body. Similarly in the city, justice will consist in harmonizing virtues of the soul with the place had in the city. The
definition of justice in Plato's ideal city takes into consideration only the spiritual component of the human being, setting
aside the bodily characteristics. Therefore the fullest virtue is not different in a man's soul than a woman's soul, or of a
child, or of a slave. Plato agrees, in accordance with the definition of justice, not only gender equality, but equality among
people in general. (22)
"But moreover," said I, "if we were required to decide what it is whose indwelling presence will contribute most to making
our city good, it would be a difficult decision whether it was the unanimity of rulers and ruled or the conservation in the
minds of the soldiers of the convictions produced by law as to what things are or are not to be feared, or the watchful
intelligence that resides in the guardians, or whether this is the chief cause of its goodness, the principle embodied in child,
woman, slave, free, artisan, ruler, and ruled, that each performed his one task as one man and was not a versatile
busybody."
In her paper "The Philosopher and the Female in the Political Thought of Plato," Arlen Saxonhouse considers that Plato, in
Republic V, describes the female "de-sexed," almost without body and free from eros. (23) The specific education given to
the guardians, men and women, is almost entirely destined to the soul, whilst the bodily desires must be purified. Steven
Forde, also, in his "Gender and Justice in Plato," shows that the argument of the Republic V concerning gender equality
entails that the equality between men and women is relevant only to the extent that human nature is reduced to its rational
or intellectual part. (24) Thus, Plato's argument does not concern, afterward, gender equality, but the theoretical conditions
of the just state in accord with the ontological and epistemological principles of Platonic philosophy.
4. Conclusion
The construction of ideal city is just a mental experiment based on the axioms of Plato's ontology and epistemology. Dwellers
of this city have rather souls than bodies, and in their souls the rational part orders and rules the others. Plato's gender equality
is simply one of the practical conclusions of the theoretical premises that underlie the definition of justice in the ideal city.
And this result is implied by the fact that the description of Plato's individual ignores the bodily attributes, among which
gender is included. The references on inferiority of woman from other related passages of Plato's dialogues are not made in
the same context, namely the definition of justice. For this reason, in other dialogues, Plato returns to the description of
IB Philosophy
Plato’s Republic
Mr. Leo
Fall 2015
5
women proper to the Greek society at that time. Therefore, the inconsistencies regarding Plato's conception of gender equality
are only apparent. The discourses about the equality between man and woman differ because the theoretical contexts differ.
On the other hand, if these inconsistencies do not exist, then it is not involved that Plato is feminist in his argument of Republic
V. As Julia Annas states, Plato's "proposals about women are justified entirely by the resulting benefit to the state and not at
all by women's needs or rights," (25) which means that the assumed Platonic feminist view is nothing but the consequence of
the definition of justice in the ideal state.1
(III)
Discussion Questions (5 Points)
1. What is the subject of the first of Socrates’ three waves? What passage or paragraph confirms or
supports your answer?
2. What determines or distinguishes difference between people in Plato’s ideal society? Does gender play
any role?
3. What are the 3 parts of the soul (according to Socrates/Plato)? What metaphor does Plato/Socrates use
for the soul?
4. How does one balance the soul (according to Plato/Socrates)?
5. What makes all people equal in Plato’s ideal society? Is gender relevant to equality in Plato’s society?
1
Silviu Serban, “On inconsistencies in Plato’s gender equality,” Journal of Resaerch in Gender Studies
4 (2014): 1062-1069.
IB Philosophy
Plato’s Republic
Mr. Leo
Fall 2015
Homework: To Be Completed for Tuesday, December 1, 2015 (15 Point)
6
(A) Notes for 127-135 (5 points)
(B) Discussion Questions (5 points)
1.
REVIEW: What are the conditions that must be met in order for a city to be just (hint: go back to book
IV OR your previous packet for the answer).
2. REVIEW: How are the guardians educated in Plato’s ideal society?
3. In 451d, Socrates uses an analogy to describe gender roles in the ideal society. Describe the analogy and
its meaning. Based on this analogy, are the genders equal in the ideal society?
4. Does Socrates believe that men and women with the same “nature” should practice and peform the same
role in the ideal society? Support your answer with textual evidence.
5. In 455e, Socrates discusses natural attributes in both men and women. Do you think Socrates believes
that one gender is superior to the other? Which one? Why?
6. Interpretive Question: Write an interpretive question from the assigned reading (5 point)
IB Philosophy
Plato’s Republic
Mr. Leo
Fall 2015
7
December 1, 2015: Gender in Plato’s Republic
(A) Bell Ringer #2: It’s a well known fact that women in American earn less than men. In fact, for
every dollar a man earns in the United States women make only 77 cents. Why do you think
this wage gap persists?
HOMEWORK/TO BE COMPLETED for December 2, 2015
(B) Notes for 136-140 (5 points)
(C) Discussion Questions (5 points)
1.
Explain how children will be raised in the ideal society (hint: 457d). Why are the reasons
behind Socrates’ method?
2.
In 459e, Socrates discusses the offspring of the Guardian class. What does Socrates say is the
best method for ensuring the Guardians produce good successors?
3. What happens if people in the ideal society procreate with someone who is not of their nature
or class? What happens to their offspring? Is there every a time when people are permitted to
procreate
4. Does this arrangement proposed by Socrates seem possible? Identify 2-3 problems or flaw with
Socrates’ understanding of procreation?
5. Interpretive Discussion Question (5 points):
IB Philosophy
Plato’s Republic
Mr. Leo
Fall 2015
8
December 2, 2015: Rearing of Children/Procreation in Plato’s Republic
(A) Bell Ringer #3 (5 points): In Steven Levitt’s book, Freakonomics, the author puts forth the
argument that the legalization of abortion in the 1970s led to steady decreases in crime
across the United States. Can public policy—like the legalization of abortion— related to
procreation improve society?
HOMEWORK/TO BE COMPLETED for December 3, 2015
(B) Notes for 141-146
(C) Discussion Questions (5 points)
1. In 462d, Socrates equates a just society with a “single human being.” What does he mean by
that? Explain the analogy.
2. In 463b, Socrates describe the relationship between the ruling class of the ideal society and the
people they serve. Briefly describe this relationship and compare it to “other societies.”
3. In 464c-465a, Socrates describes compensation in the ideal society. Why does Socrates
advocate for no wages for the guardian class? How does a wage-less society prevent the
formation of factions?
4. Interpretive Question (5 points):
IB Philosophy
Plato’s Republic
Mr. Leo
Fall 2015
9
December 3, 2015: The Guardian Class/Leadership in the ideal society
(I)
Bell Ringer #4 (5 points): How big of an issue is income inequality in our country? Presidential
candidates, particularly Bernie Sanders, say that income inequality is “the great moral issue of our
time.” Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not?
HOMEWORK/TO BE COMPLETED for December 4, 2015
(II)
Socratic Seminar Questions (5 points)
Directions: Write three questions one related to each of the “three waves” of the ideal society (women
in society; the rearing of children; and leadership)
1.
2.
3.
IB Philosophy
Plato’s Republic
Mr. Leo
Fall 2015
(III)
10
Socratic Seminar Evaluation (5 points)
Directions: Use the evaluation form during the Socratic Seminar on December 4, 2015
Partner Evaluation:
Partner’s Name:
Your Name:
1. Did your partner participate in discussion?
Yes, multiple times
Only a little
No, but s/he was taking notes
No
2.
Did your partner build on the conversation by referring to another comment or asking a question?
3.
Did your partner refer to the text when participating?
4.
Did your partner invite others to participate?
5.
What suggestion do you have for your partner for next time?