Censorship in Plato's "Republic"

Paper Summary:

The paper criticizes Plato's work for offending modern people's notion of the freedom of the individual, and argues against its applicability in the context of today. The paper analyzes Plato's call for the Guardians to indoctrinate the citizens and direct their endeavors, and finds that it amounts to propaganda and would lead to censorship. In Plato's goal of perfection the writer sees the forerunner of Nazi plans for eugenics as well as similarities to the Soviet regime. The paper concludes that the "Republic's" arguments would have been more convincing if they were meant to give individuals freedom instead of deciding for the individual what was best.

From the Paper:

"Plato defines a just state as one that supports the welfare of the individual, a point of agreement for most political philosophers. However, he ascribes to men driving forces that are not in their or each other's best interests. He mentions different pursuits, such as artistic endeavors, as being outside the realm of provision of the necessities of life, which he defines as food, shelter and clothing. His society depends on men working to capacity level in the most efficient way possible in order to provide a state-driven system for distribution of goods. In order to accomplish this it is necessary, in his view, to proscribe sole tasks to the individuals, allowing them to perform only one job and providing a work force for each necessary item necessary for survival. He reasons that if a man concentrates on one thing only, he will become expert in that pursuit and will produce more than would be produced by individuals providing all of their own necessities on their own."

More papers on Censorship in Plato's "Republic":

• Book Review # 66591 : "The Republic", Book III"
• Persuasive Essay # 23663 : "Plato's Censorship"
• Analytical Essay # 121927 : "Plato's Ideas of Government"

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