Cosmopolitanism of Plato Essay Example
Plato’s Republic attempts to create an ideal society, detailing the inner workings of government in a time before a Greek nation existed. Plato could be considered cosmopolitan, but at the same time, I would consider his ideas very elitist. Social mobility in his ideal city is almost impossible, as classes are predetermined. Still, his somewhat progressive and worldly ideas start an enlightenment process allowing for a moral order centered around citizens. He starts a tradition of liberal thought based on moral views of the ruling and ruled.
Cosmopolitanism can be defined in several different ways. Plato fits the mold of many of them. He is worldly, somewhat unprejudiced for his time, and broad-minded. His novel ideas pertaining to women in his ideal polis imprint him as one of the leading feminists of a time period with a large divide between the two sexes. There is little possibility of Plato agreeing with the intersectionalist thinkers of today, but as far as Glaucon and Adeimantus are concerned, Plato has drastic ideas on the role of women in the ideal city. As a philosopher, Plato holds nature in high regard. He compares people to animals on multiple occasions arguing that every person can and should be categorized by nature. Furthermore, he contends that women and men have different natures, but despite only a physical disadvantage, women are intellectually sound enough to reside in the same class as men. He states that, “If, then, we use the women for the same things as the men, they must also be taught the same things.” (Plato, 451e) Plato pushes for education throughout The Republic; he argues that there is no point in segregating women to a separate class than men. Women can be producers, auxiliaries, or guardians, but they must be educated the same as the men of their class to be successful in their role in the polis. Greeks of the time had a very narrow view of the world, but with every drastic change Plato proposes he demonstrates his cosmopolitan ability to understand that his home is flawed. In an argument for the inclusion of women in all classes he reminds Glaucon that, “it is not so long ago that it seemed shameful and ridiculous to the Greeks—as it does now to the many among the barbarians—to see men naked.” (Plato, 452c) Even in talking about women exercising naked with men, a passage that might seem comical today, Plato is intellectually aware of how social change takes place. He is adamant that citizens must not make jokes of new changes, but embrace them. His intellectual awareness, not just for change but the implementation of change, is a cosmopolitan trait that sets him apart from his conversational sparring partners.
Plato’s republic is a hypothetical city with just rulers and an intricate symbiotic class system. He is limited to the city-state dynamic of his time, but he proposes an early form of national meritocracy. He believes that political power should be based on ability or nature rather than wealth or social class. The guardians are Plato’s governing class, and he plans to choose them carefully based on their disposition. He explains that, “the man who's going to be a fine and good guardian of the city for us will in his nature be philosophic, spirited, swift, and strong.” (Plato, 376c) Guardians are not being chosen based on their wealth or family ties, in fact Plato later explains that he wishes to do away with the family dynamic as currently structured. Citizens will only reproduce with members of their own class to ensure that the meritocratic system can sustain itself. In reality, an ideal guardian is cultivated using proper education in addition to biology, but Plato is a man fixated by nature. Still, the fact that Plato expresses his want for guardians of fair ability shows his worldly view of social dynamics.
It has been stated that Plato demonstrates sophisticated and somewhat unprejudiced views. However, his obsession with creating the ideal society occasionally characterizes him as an elitist. His proposal for new classes shows that he is willing to eliminate power centered around wealth and name, but after the formation of these classes there is little class mobility possible for citizens. He explains that he envisions a class system able to reliably produce itself by stating, “There is a need for the best men to have intercourse as often as possible with the best women, and the reverse for the most ordinary men with the most ordinary women” (Plato, 459d) The children of each class with be raised by their own so that only the children of the elite can be educated to become elite themselves. The argument for such a system is based on the fact that bloodlines determine a nature desired for a particular class. However, there are many similarities between this system of a self-sustaining class and a class based on family centered power, an authoritarian system Plato would like to avoid. This elitist contradiction is likely to lead to struggle between classes rather than harmony. Plato even addresses this contradiction declaring that isolated intercourse “must come to pass without being noticed by anyone except the rulers themselves.” (Plato, 459e) It is clear that the ideal city may only function if the subjected citizens are unaware of their state.
It seems that Plato is leaning on an elitist notion that humans are either rulers or subjects by nature. This concept seems flawed. One of his main arguments is that the city must have a philosopher ruler that is able to recognize nature and understand the role of each class. Plato argues for those with knowledge to rule stating,
“For the true pilot it is necessary to pay careful attention to year, seasons, heaven, stars, winds, and everything that's proper to the art, if he is really going to be skilled at ruling a ship. And they don't suppose it's possible to acquire the art and practice of how one can get hold of the helm whether the others wish it or not, and at the same time to acquire the pilot's skill.” (Plato, 488d)
Plato is using the allegory of the ship to describe his city. The pilot or king must be a well rounded individual with complete knowledge of his art. Plato is arguing that philosophers are rightfully fit to be kings because, just like a worthy pilot, they are able to pay close attention to everything that is proper to the art. He argues for specialization in profession throughout the republic, and when it comes to ruling over the city he is adamant that a philosopher would have the job. Philosophers are the ones specialized in ruling on account of their well rounded base of knowledge. Perhaps Plato feels neglected by Athenians for not recognizing the knowledge he and Socrates possessed. Neglected or not, Plato is elitist because he constantly looks down on the common man. He constantly criticizes the nature of certain trades such as craftsmanship, and Socrates’ character often comes off as conceited when discussing philosopher kings. It is clear that Plato has a lot to say about this topic and it is very important to his ideal city, but coming off as elitist once again he tries to explain that common men have no knowledge of reality, and no standard of perfection. Standards are entirely subjective. Common men may not live up to Plato’s elitist standards, which is why he strays from a government of the people. Government by a few well educated individuals, and a ruling class that is not representative of the ruled, is a very elitist notion and hard to consider cosmopolitan.
Plato was on the right track. His vision was flawed in many ways, but it is easy to tell that the ideal polis was very thought out in the best interest of justice. He chooses to open all three classes to both sexes of the city, and create a self sustaining, symbiotic class system. However, where Plato lost me was the idea of a political structure in which one enlightened individual would govern in the interest of all people. By placing power in the hands of a single elite person, Plato outs himself as an elitist, regardless of that person’s education.
