... the same time signifies the key to preventing the downfall of a ruler and/or an empire/city. In his book The Republic , through dialogues with Socrates that he transcribes, Plato defines justice as doing what is socially most beneficial or what one does best, minding one's own business and not meddling in other affairs ... definition of justice, it makes sense that freedom would be a big part of it. (His neglect of this idea when he constructs his City can be seen later on in how he assigns jobs to the people.) In his book The Republic, Plato uses many metaphores and comparisons in orde...

• Word Count: 4188
• Approx Pages: 17
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... and are told a bigger lie in order to subject them into social classes. I think that this is a great contradiction in Plato's philosophy. In his book The Republic he dedicates many pages speaking of justice, but how is it that he can speak of justice when he lies to people and tells them that they have to belong to a certain class and through the lies ... form of government and through the Myth of the Metals, he is able to perpetuate the rule of the philosophers. Furthermore, this shows an even greater contradiction in Plato's arguments against Thrasymachus that justice is not the will ...

• Word Count: 4292
• Approx Pages: 17
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... at birth. However the main difference in the two lies in how they interact with the world around them once they attain the guardian or gentleman status. First of all, Plato would have his guardians feel no attachment to those around them whereas Confucius emphasizes the importance of relationships with family and friends. In addition, while gentlemen question the world around ... came to know the forms. On the other hand, when gentleman becomes a sage, it is because they were able to do and act with benevolence all the time. In The Republic, the philosophers are supposed to not know wha...

• Word Count: 1371
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate