Tyranny Essay Research Paper Within The Republic free essay sample

Tyranny Essay, Research Paper Within The Republic, Plato states that dictatorship is? the most morbid? sort of society ( Republic, 544c ) . Aristotle echoes this belief when he boldly asserts within Politicss that great honours should be? bestowed? on him who kills a tyrant. ? ( Politics, 1267a15 ) From these quotation marks entirely, it is clear that both portion a contempt for dictatorship. This essay will compare and contrast Plato ( the Republic ) with Aristotle ( the Politics ) on the causes and effects of dictatorship. In order to hold on how Plato accounts for the development of dictatorship, it is of import to understand how he equates the metropolis with the psyche. Within The Republic, Plato explains that the psyche consists of three parts: ground ( wisdom ) , spirit ( courage/honour ) and appetite ( moderation/desire ) . The category construction of Plato? s ideal metropolis besides embodies these divisions: The defenders or ? philosopher male monarchs? represent wisdom and are entrusted to govern ; the aides represent bravery and service to protect the metropolis ; the manufacturers represent moderateness and service to supply the economic and agricultural base for the metropolis. While, as Plato connotes in this analogy, all three parts have a topographic point in building the ideal, ground is the steering force that mediates and pull from the viing nature of these parts to bring forth a merely metropolis. Consequently, since? alteration in every government comes from that portion of it which holds the opinion offices, ? ( Republic, 551d ) it is the loss of ground by the opinion category which destroys the merely metropolis and provides for the eventual oncoming of dictatorship, a province devoid of harmoniousness amongst its parts. In explicating how the ideal metropolis would finally devolve, Plato puts forth a four-stage additive aside towards dictatorship. From the ideal province, a timocracy is first born from the love of honor. As wealth becomes cherished among the citizens, timocracy gives manner to oligarchy. In an oligarchic province, the desire for freedom or licence leads to the rise of democracy. And eventually, as the desire for freedom additions and becomes limitless, the metropolis is said to fall into a province of dictatorship. Therefore, for Plato, a autocrat is a Democrat who has lost all restraint. While Plato views the decay towards tyranny as a unvarying aside, the presence of this widespread decay finally creates the conditions for one individual to lift to power. ( Republic, 565d ) Within this aside, ground is bit by bit overcome by appetite until an? insatiate desire? for freedom transforms a democracy into a dictatorship. While such footings as? freedom? and? democracy? may arouse certain intensions for the modern-day reader, it is of import to maintain in head that Plato views a government that promotes freedom and licence as its primary nonsubjective as a topographic point where ground is overcome by desire. While citizens of such governments might compare unrestricted democracy with freedom, as Plato explains, ? the existent autocrat is, even if he doesn? T seem so? in truth a existent slave. ? ( Republic, 579d ) In practical footings, Plato views money and private belongings as the floodgate to this decay: Whenever they? ll possess private land, houses, and currency, they? ll become? Masterss and enemies alternatively of Alliess of the other citizens ; detesting and being hated, plotting and being plotted against, they? ll lead their lives far more afraid of the enemies within than those without. Then they themselves every bit good as the remainder of the metropolis are already hotfooting towards a devastation that lies really nigh. ( Republic, 417a ) Since in the ideal metropolis or psyche, a proper balance of its parts produces justness, dictatorship, in Plato? s position, is the complete absence of justness ensuing from an accent on the hunt for private belongings and dissoluteness. While Aristotle acknowledges that a philosopher male monarch, as presented by Plato, should be allowed to govern, he is disbelieving that such a figure could be. He is critical of The Republic as he does non see Plato? s three-party building as a likely or even desirable construction. Choosing a more matter-of-fact lens, Aristotle attacks political relations by pulling upon the existing constructions of authorities, viz. monarchy as the regulation by one individual, nobility as the regulation by the few and constitutional authorities as the regulation by the many. Sketching their negative opposite numbers, Aristotle refers to the regulation by the many as a democracy, by the few as an oligarchy, and by the 1 as a dictatorship. ? For dictatorship is a sort of monarchy which has in position the involvement of the sovereign only. ? ( Politics, 1279b ) While this list may resemble that of Plato? s, Aristotle refutes the additive aside into tyranny put away within The Republic. ( Politics, 1303a15-30 ) Although Aristotle advocates a assorted government or? civil order? as the best possible political system, he believes that, in certain state of affairss, other types of authorities would non merely be successful but besides desirable. While a monarchy may more easy impart itself to despotic regulation, no 1 government, in its positive signifier, leads to the creative activity of a dictatorship. As Aristotle provinces, ? ? while one fundamental law is more choiceworthy, nil prevents a different one from being more good to some. ? ( Politics, 1296b10 ) Like Plato, Aristotle singles out inordinate desire as the force that drives people to tyranny, ? for desire is a wild animal, and passion perverts the heads of swayers, even when they are the best of men. ? ( Politics, 1287a30 ) He does non, nevertheless, accept Plato? s averment that this desire is an progeny of private belongings. For Aristotle, private belongings is a agency to a non-economic terminal. He points out that things held in common are non as valued and cared for as those things which people claim owne rship and duty for. Used in the proper manner, Aristotle argues, private belongings does non take to tyranny. It is merely when people live entirely for wealth and private belongings and go? slaves of their pleasances? that tyranny flourishes. By doing the metropolis correspondent with the psyche, Plato presents the decay towards tyranny as a series of homogeneous alterations within the attitudes of both the ruled and the swayers. Alternatively, Aristotle positions the oncoming of dictatorship as chiefly arising from one person. This trickledown position of dictatorship promotes tyranny as the ability of an person to indoctrinate the multitudes, ? for merely a great psyche can populate in the thick of problem and wrong without itself perpetrating any base act. ? ( Politics, 1253a31 ) Although Plato and Aristotle disagree as to the beginning of dictatorship, both conclude that in terminal a despotic swayer will come to power. Turning from the analysis of the causes of dictatorship, we find that both philosophers portion some of import points on its effects. To guarantee that the citizens would non represent a menace to the autocrat, both philosophers surmise that a autocrat must deviate the attending of the multitudes. To this terminal, they point to war as a diversionary maneuver taken on by the autocrat. ( Republic, 566e and Politicss, 1308a28 ) As history has shown us, by supplying the populace with the pressing issues of war, a autocrat can forge and strengthen his government in the name of national security. By deviating the public? s attending, as Plato provinces, autocrats will? coerce [ the public ] to attend to gaining their day-to-day staff of life instead than to plot against him. ? ( Republic, 567a ) By structuring society so that citizens are caught up in their private personal businesss, the autocrat ensures that there is small or no clip to concentrate on other issues. This is a peculiarly of import point for Aristotle who, unlike Plato, sees a value in public political engagement. Within the? civil order? put Forth by Aristotle, citizens enter into political relations ( to the best of their ability ) merely after they have managed to set their economic necessities or ? family? into order. ( Politics, 1328b37 ) It is merely when citizens are free from holding to concentrate on the necessities of their private lives that they can happen the leisure to take part in political relations. Since Aristotle defines citizens as? merely those who are freed from necessary services, ? ( Politics, 1278a10 ) a metropolis under the regulation of a autocrat, in Aristotle? s position, does non hold citizens. While both philosophers acknowledge that autocrats need to busy the public? s attending, in observing Plato? s antipathy for public engagement in political relations, it is Aristotle who extends the impression that tyrannies depoliticize the public. Plato suggests that since the populace is non cognizant of their political environment, the autocrat will show himself as a? gracious and soft? leader to farther lenify them. ( Republic, 560e ) To further protect his regulation, Aristotle believes that the autocrat will seed misgiving among the citizens, ? for a dictatorship will non be overthrown until some people trust each other. ? ( Politics, 1314a15 ) By advancing misgiving within the province, the citizens, who are already busy with their ain work and personal lives, will be discourage from publically showing any condescending position on the political government. Furthermore, by promoting citizens to be wary of their neigbours, the people themselves could service as an drawn-out type of constabulary. As both writers connote, deceit entirely will non procure a autocrat? s power. Once the autocrat has succeeded in going swayer, he must extinguish anyone that might endanger his regulation. As Plato provinces, ? [ a tyrant ] must maintain a crisp oculus out for work forces of bravery or vision or intelligence or wealth? until he has purged them from the state. ? ( Republic, 567b ) Aristotle agrees, stating? the autocrat should discerp off the caputs of those who are excessively high and he must set to decease work forces of spirit. ? ( Politics, 1284a29 ) By fring the metropolis of other possible leaders, the autocrat promotes a type of averageness amongst the citizens. As a consequence, scientists, philosophers, and others whose endowments or wealth might be perceived by the autocrat as a menace will either meet with strong subjugation or decease. Since such force will probably consequence in some kind of discontent? for even within such an haunted and self-seeking public depicted by Plato, the loss of one? s male parent or brother will non happen without some signifier of disapproval? a autocrat will be forced to brand commissariats for his personal safety. To this terminal, both Plato and Aristotle province that autocrats are compelled to hold escorts. Both minds see the autocrats pulling their defenders from the same outside pool: Aristotle provinces that piece legitimate swayers? have escorts drawn from the citizens? [ autocrats ] have their escorts to protect them against the citizens? ( Politics, 1285a25 ) while Plato believes that the autocrat will non pull his escorts from the people, but instead from the slaves ( who are non considered citizens ) ( Republic, 567e ) . In bend these devoted escorts will protect the autocrat and prevent any popular discontent, much like modern-day autocrats have done through the usage of their ground forcess or national guard. Plato? s Republic and Aristotle? s Politics provide us with some of the earliest documented theories of dictatorship. While many bookmans are critical of some of these penetrations, the two thousand old ages since their release have demonstrated the relevancy of many of the cardinal thoughts. The part of these two philosophers in this and many other Fieldss virtues acknowledgment. As Issac Newton one time said, it is? merely by standing on the shoulders of giants? that we have come this far.