Plato Republic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Plato Republic - Essay Example The Socratic dialogue that was written by Plato around 380 BC focuses on defining what is justice and character as well as the order of a just man. This piece of Socratic dialogue further seeks to establish if indeed a just man is happier than a man who is unjust. In particular, this essay aims at supporting the arguments that were presented by Plato of which the main argument is that â€Å"the best form of government, aristocracy, will eventually devolve into the worst form of government tyranny.† This key argument is built on the premise that there are five forms of governments that comprise of lovers of honor also known as timocracy. The second form of government is lovers of money also known as oligarchy. The third form of government is lovers of freedom also known as democracy. The fourth form of government is the tyranny while the fifth form of government is the lovers of excellence, which is also known as the aristocracy or enlightened monarchy. Objectors of key premise s Of all the five forms of government, aristocracy is touted to the best since it is widely considered good and just. However, a common objection to this argument is that individuals, who are from the highest class of the society, are the ones posed to lead an aristocrat government and they usually have money, land, and power. Objectors argue that in general sense, aristocrats are not able to relate with the common person and therefore, they will not be able to understand what is justice and good governance in the eyes of the common persons who normally make up the biggest percentage of the population The key premise of the Plato’s argument is that the aristocracy government will eventually convert to the worst form of government tyranny. Objections to this premise lies on the fact that the best form of government normally makes provisions that will allow active citizen participation and healthy engagement with the opposition, which means that there will be measures of checks and balance to ensure the aristocrat government does not sway to undesirable form of government. Therefore, objectors argue that there is no possibility for an aristocrat government devolving to become the worst form of government tyranny. Another key objection to the premise that have been presented by Plato is the fact that governments are not purely made up of specific groups of people, for example, those who love money, honor, freedom, or excellence. Objectors argues that it is impossible to have such unique forms of governments because government is composed of a representation of the people and therefore, it will be made up of people from different corners of the nation who subscribe to different ideologies but have a common purpose of serving the interest of their constituents. Replies to the objections Aristocracy government is made up of noble men who have worked hard in their entire life in order to even earn honorary titles if not entitled to them by virtue of family lin eage. Therefore, they will instill the virtue of hard work to the common citizens whilst providing servant leadership. Secondly, the objections given above can be refuted on the basis that aristocrat have a reputation to maintain and therefore, in all natural sense they will work towards ensuring their reputation in maintained and upheld to the highest standards. Thirdly, because of the representation of constituents in the government, the aristocracy government will be able to know and understand the plight of the common citizens. Plato argued that the best form of government, aristocracy, will eventually devolve into the worst form of government tyranny. This argument is supported by the fact that the second generation after