The importance of unity in Plato’s Republic is explicitly shown in his passage describing why the guardians should have wives and children in common. The city, Plato says, will “speak in unison” of their wives and children. This idea of unity is divided into three parts by Plato’s theory. First, no parents or children will know each other, and thus will be one “family.” Next, we see that all possessions will be those of the city and not of any individual, therefore, there will be no fighting because there will be no classes. Lastly, elders have the right to punish younger ones and the younger ones will respect their elders, allowing all “to live at peace with one another.”
Unity is clearly vital in Plato’s idea of the perfect society as seen through his plan to have no parents or children know each other. When talking about guardians, Plato quotes, “…when he meets any one of them, he’ll hold that he’s meeting a brother or sister, a father or mother, a son or daughter, or some ancestor or descendent of
Example Essays Home
