Plato and the Republic

Title

In the Republic, Plato created an artificial utopia, which would never survive in the real world. Plato's utopia fails to recognize the power that humans desire for choice, individuality and wealth will have on his creation.

Humans have always attempted to coincide harmoniously at one point or another in history, but a rather disturbing trend that has always proved more than likely to be the culprit of complete societal collapse is the human perception of choice, individuality and wealth. Socrates argues for the ability to condition citizens to a massive brainwash of "just" behavior, morals and an undying desire to accomplish your daily god given job. All the ingredients needed to create the perfect robot society, with the rulers in the driver's seat.

Humans have a historical track record of wanting the bigger and better offerings a society may give its citizens, also those exclusive services & items that regular citizens may not have access to as privileged members may have. These are the effects of Greed; a Natural Human Flaw, the desire to want more than your peers with no intent to redistribute wealth. This Human flaw is in complete violation of Socrates utopian standard that an individual is equally as wealthy as the next man who pays his "just" debts. Today's Human Race has such a higher regard for Wealth of Knowledge, Honor and Money more than ever that it has imploded our world today into massive financial debt. Like anything in life, more money only brings more problems. Socrates in today's society fails to consider the personal human desire to achieve a higher level of financial wealth that exceeds life in the normal state.

Limiting a Humans ability to choose his path of destiny has always favored against a ruling party no matter what part in history you seek. The tighter the Rulers grip over his society, the more resistant citizens who wanted change proved to be. Individuality is a Human's ability to retain personal identity and pride. Oppression and degradation eventually lead to the fall of once powerful nations by the strength in numbers of citizens who wanted change. The Republic speaks about putting the common goal first; Work your assigned Position, Be "just" and follow the platonic brainwashing. But people need a sense of self-worth to choose whether or not they want to do what's best for them or what's best for society, no matter how selfish the decision may be. This argues in contrast to Socrates' belief of cleansing the mind of decisions that lead to a path in contradiction to the utopia. Not always does society hold the best answer for every individual, sometimes the best answer is from the individuals themselves. Conformity is when a certain group of individuals willingly accept the instructions of a dominating authority to act according to what it's ordered to do. The birth of the United States was a prime example of Humans resistance to conformity from a tyrant (Great Britain). Though it was through Great Britain that the individuals were brought to become a part of this injected society where production was the primary focus on the U.S working class to Great Britain that eventually it found itself being overwhelmed in numbers in favor of personal freedom and succession from mother England. In reality, today's "just" Civilization will never let the ruling or militaristic parties of society dominate effectively without revolution. Conformity is merely the steering wheel of society that allows the rulers control its citizens at its leisure.

As humans on this planet we are naturally rebellious, we dare to be different. Everyone has a ethnic background that has faced oppression or degradation by a ruling party and has fought its authority in some sort of attempt to show them that being an individual was worth life or death. Today the world works in its true state, corrupted. There is not one political system in this world, whether democratic or not, that is free from defect. Capitalism faces one of the biggest threats as fewer individuals control a majority of the wealth and larger populations live with little to no wealth. This separation offers the again the threat of average individuals revolting against the privileged. This hunger to be different is caused when society fails to recognize that humans need to feel like they have individual importance and presence. Why would it be prudent to make every man feel no different?