History of Political Thought - Summary of Political Thinkers by Boucher & Kelly
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Course
History of Political Thought
Institution
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)
Book
Political Thinkers
Summary of the book Political Thinkers by Boucher & Kelly. Covers chapters: 4 (Plato), 5 (Aristotle), 7 (St. Augustine), 8 (Aquinas), 10 (Machiavelli) & 12 (Hobbes). Corresponds with lectures 1-6.
History of Political Thought
Political Thinkers, 3e editie, samenvatting (Boucher & Kelly)
H4 – Plato (L1)
Biography: born in 429 before Christ and died in 347. Family was aristocratic, father Ariston is
descended from the last king of Athens. His mother is Perictione, brothers Glaucon & Adeimantus and
sister Potone. Through the execution of Socrates, he got more interested in philosophy than politics.
Academy, set up by him was arguably the first university.
Key ideas
Forms are objects, reliable standards for good judgement. The chief of this is Form of the good. Forms
constitute unto Being. Continual change = Becoming. By looking to the Form of good philosopher
discovers the blueprint for the best human society, the kallipolis. The Republic is the story of that city
and of the philosopher-kings who rule in it. Central to that story is an attempt to establish justice pays
and that we cannot achieve happiness except in such a city. Also central is a theory of the human soul
or mind. Each soul has three primary desires: appetitive (take happiness to consist of long term
satisfaction of their appetites), spirited (consist in the satisfaction of desires for honour and approval)
and rational (consist in satisfaction of desires for truth and the overall good). Appetitive class consists
of producers or workers. Spirited of guardians and the rational of rulers. Justice for a city consists in
the enforcement of a principle of specialization. A eugenics policy is instituted = rigged lottery that
ensures best will breed more often with best. Censorship of art is imposed by the rulers.
An overview of the Republic
Thrasymachus argues that those who are stronger in any society are its rulers, but they are self-
interested. They make the rules; largely determines how subjects value justice and other virtues.
Thrasymachus defines justice as what is advantageous for the stronger.
In the Republic Socrates tries to refuse Thrasymachus using his elenchus. Plato abandons the elenchus
and tries to answer by developing a positive defence of justice. Crucial to his defence is the concept of
the philosopher-kings.
Political philosophy for Plato is based not on force, but on the knowledge and virtue. P-K would not
recognize the right thing as good if they dud not also love the rule. The nature of the system of th P-K
is based on Plato’s ‘theory of soul’ (psyche). Psyche = 3 kids of desires; appetitive, spirited nd
rational. But which desire rules a person’s soul depends on the strength of the desire & the education
received. The goal of education isn’t to put knowledge in someone but to train their desires, so to turn
them around form the pursuit of what they falsely believe to be happiness.
The famous allegry of the Cave illustrates the effects of education. Some are un educated and called
money-lovers., since they pursue money as their satisfaction. For stable satisfaction of appetitive
desires is a sort of good. Further education leaves these people ruled by their spirited desires, they are
honours-lovers. Finally, educated people are ruled by rational desires and are wisdom-lovers and are
fully virtuous.
Forms and the Good itself
Philosopher looks at the effects that various kind of poetry have on a guardian’s soul. He determines
what kind of soul the guardians should have by looking to the role of guardians in the good city & the
role should be looking at good itself, since that is the only way to knowing other forms of good.
The patterns that are reached by philosopher are Forms. They are unspecific; all they determine is
what a good poem must have.
To see more clearly what a F pattern is, we look at Sun allegory. First component of this:
epistemological; as the sun gives visible things the power to be seen, so the good gives the knowable
things-Forms- the power to be known. Less metaphorical: suppose we have an correct account or
definition of a Form, F. since the account is correct, it must exhibit whatever level of rational or
logical order is required for truth- at a minimum, it must be consistent. And because that account is
made true by Form, that Form itself must, at a minimum possess the level of rational order that is an
ontological; correlate of consistency. Without rational order then, there would be no truth and so no
, knowledge. Second component: metaphysical or ontological. Intelligible ones (Forms) owe their
existence to the good, although the good is not being. If there were no rational order, no Form could be
the thing it is. As the source of such order, therefore, the good is intelligibly thought of as beyond
being that is, as a more basic explanatory factor than being.
The structure of the Kallipolis
Socrates acted as pretend philosopher-king, as he understood the good itself at the outset of the
Republic. Plato believes that 1. Unless socialization makes our appetites and emotions as responsive as
possible to reason so that we acquire civic virtue, no system of laws will be effective. 2. That once we
acquire civic virtue, legislation is a routine matter. Pt the other way around, he believes that the threat
posed to political good order by anarchic appetites is the greatest political evil of all. Kallipolis is
supposed to be the maximally happy human community, that is the centre of his political theory and of
Republic. This account is laid out in three stages; each which describes another city. City-1, city-2 &
city-3, part of kallipolis but not autonomous. But, one of these is not possible by itself, only when
modified. Pleonecia = desire to have more and more without limit. For cities to exist it’s important for
philosopher-kings, guardians etc.
Specialization
In books 2-5 Plato seems to accept unique aptitude doctrine = each person is born with a natural
aptitude for a unique craft, way of life, role or social position. Because of this Plato emphasizes that
everyone must practice the unique craft that they were born to do = principle of specialization (rubs
readers the wrong way, since it’s restrictive). He also accepts the unique upper-bound doctrine = a
person’s ruling desires set a upper limit to his cognitive development. He also accepts the principle of
quasi-specialization = everyone must practice whatever is demanded.
The lies of the rulers
Two types f lies; first is a ‘true lie’, is about reason. Second is ‘a lie in words’, when dealing with
enemies. Everyone must avoid lies. Lies of rulers are all intended to be verbal rather than genuine.
Distinctions: if citizens believe that they wouldn’t be happier anywhere else, they are victims of false
ideology. If they are happy, but have a altered world view taught by the rulers they are falsely
sustained. If their belief is true and their world view too, they are ideology free.
Private life and private property
Socrates believes that women should stay at home to raise children. But the kalipolis wants them to be
trained in a craft like everyone. Plato argues for everyone (also slaves, children) there is a craft,
however he is not a feminist, he thinks they are inferior to men. Education is once again a large part of
the solution.
Invalids, infants & slaves
Purpose of medical treatment is to restore people who were already healthy. People who have an
illness that prevents them from being useful, or from returning to their craft will be left without
treatment to die, fore as they have no worthwhile life.
Censorship of the arts
Most important part is education and upbringing, hence must ensure that there are no innovations in
musical or physical training. Because that would interfere with political laws. He explains Greek
ancient poetry not as art, but the information behind it, and the philosophers behind it who teach, not
the art. And poetry and art aim to provide some kind of satisfaction, which is related to repression.
Freedom & autonomy
Someone’s real interests are those that are developed under optimal circumstances , without false
ideology etc. happiness is optimal satisfaction of real interest in the long term. The kallipolis is
presented to the reader as if it were the perfect city-life, but to readers it feels authoritarian and
repressive. It s because we have different conceptions of good.
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