Kallipolis: the City of the Ideal

Around the time of 380 BCE, a philosopher by the let out of Plato wrote virtuoso of his most famous works The Republic. Within the text of this dialogue, Socrates and his gadfly conversationalists discuss a mor totallyy and socially sensitive issue what, per se, is umpire? Throughout the work, there were several definitions ranging from the power of the strong to rewarding true and punishing evil. To help lend clarity to their discussions, Socrates proposes that in order to break-dance judge as a concept, they must apply it holistically as hostile to an man-to-manistic, circumstantial criteria.In order to accomplish this, the group imagines what the idealistic metropolis would be like. In this ideal place, there would be common chord menagees of muckle (producers, auxiliaries, and guardians) which would told they get to have a corresponding metal which ramp ups up their soul. Bronze for the producers, funds for the auxiliaries, and gold for the guardians. Each class would be determined by soulfulness merit in accordance with what tasks they beat out perform. For example, if a man is best at digging ditches he willing dig ditches for the rest of his life.Additionally, the members of one class can only produce children with members of the same class. The citizens of this city (a gibe of around 30,000 individuals) would all sh ar wealth, food, and shelter communally. Several core virtues such as wisdom (through the guardians), courage (through the auxiliaries), and moderation (through all classes dwelling together peacefully) will be emphasized to help preserve exactlyice. Socrates emphasizes that the goal is to recognise a city as genuine as possible so that the populace is as content as possible.The end-goal is non just to make one person as happy as possible. As a pupil of Socrates, Platos edifice of this ideal city, named Kallipolis, was more than lots than hypothesizing about plaster and stone. For Plato, Kallipolis was meant t o reflect two drastically diametrical things on two alone different levels. On the baser level, Kallipolis inclusion of human virtues just as justice and moderation mirrors the individual. On the other(a) side, Kallipolis also represents the entirety of the cosmos with its demesne of infinite possibly and wondrous ideals.To Socrates and Plato, this city was a sociopolitical organization which allowed citizens to pass on their potential, serve the state, and live according to the absolute truths which govern our existence. Unfortunately, the ideal Kallipolis is just that an ideal. It may be all well and good to construct an ideal city in the mind, save unfortunately this utopian system lacks a firm foundation in reality. Kallipolis is a utopia an imagined society put forward-moving by its author as better than any existing society, agone or present.Specifically according to Plato, Kallipolis is non just a better city, exactly rather is the best city. This makes creating Kall ipolis impossible because there was nothing to from the real-world to model itself after. This is what makes construction of a place like Kallipolis to hard to even pragmatically imagine. It is not that obscure for one to even assume that in actuality, Plato never meant for Kallipolis to be a reality, merely rather to have it serve as a goal for other poleis or nation-states to model themselves after.Plato planned for the society set forth in his Republic to not just be a utopia, but to rather be the best utopia, making this ideal even more difficult to properly realize. If one were to look into his work, one would certainly peck that Plato never advocates revolution or legislation to bring his Republic into existence. On the contrary, Plato knew that Kallipolis was an impossibility and that the Republic would only live on in the minds of those who enjoin his works.His message was that if all individuals (be they king, peasant, or representative) were just, the ideal city would exist. Thus, people must strive on their own to better themselves if they ever wish to bring about a better society overall. This is the beauty of Platos theorem it is impossible for this utopia to rat because this city is only actually meant to exist as the hypothetical inhalation of an aging philosopher. Because of this, Kallipolis was able to evade some of the stubborn realities existent on Earth.The purpose for this city is not necessarily to exist, but rather to be the ideal which the contemporary cities (such as Athens or Sparta) and the ruling bodies (the people or the aristocracy, respectively) may be judged. Instead of looking at other countries, cities, and nations which dwelled in the real world to compare ones city to, Plato thought it would be best if a city was compared to the ideal, Kallipolis. Even in modern times, Kallipolis is a suitable standard concerning how a society made of of many different factions can live harmoniously.Personally, it is my viewpoint that this city is just for a community, but unjust for the individual. For this, I would not want to live in a governing system such as this. It is reasonable to assume that Platos city might not be so ideal in the twenty-first century world of digitalized information and civil liberties. Through a ill-bred eugenics program, avid informational censorship, and telling a noble lie, Kallipolis people do not so much choose what they wish to accomplish as much as they are conditioned to perform what tasks must be done.The individual rights of the people are cast aside for the interestingness of the greater good in a very utilitarian system which contains a irate pragmatism in its application. One needs to look no barely than Nazi Germany, Socialist Russia, Fascist Italy, or Communist China to go steady the problems with this worldview and the mindset it supported. The end game for Platos Republic is not so much to have citizens who ponder lifes deeper meanings, but to rather have mindles s drones playacting the tasks they were instructed to do.Yet even with these numerous infractions against the core of humanity, the ruling body of Kallipolis is incredibly legitimate. The guardians (who are more than qualified for their positions) rule both effectively and efficiently for the sake of the nation-state. Overall, they provide the proper protection for their people and preserve their well being. The guardians endeavour to honor the welfare and well-being of all citizens by promoting justice, striving for class harmony, and defending their people within the walls of their ideal polis.However, the flaw lies not in the people themselves, but rather in the system they were placed into. after(prenominal) all, such a sense of loyalty to homeland is desirable, but the systems be to individuality and free will is simply too much. All hands have certain rights ordained to them at birth by disposition (or whichsoever deity a people worships) which include a right to life, a right to liberty, and a right to property. Socrates and Platos Kallipolis strips away its citizens rights to such things, such as when it dictates an individuals lot from the beginning.First, a persons life will be channelled into one of three categories. Second, (and based on the category) that person will instructed only on what they will be doing the rest of their lives. Finally, he or she will share all personal possessions with others, losing a sense of identity one moment at a time. Kallipolis, with all of its peaceful and harmonious benefits, eliminates certain rights which were made taken for granted(predicate) long before Socrates or Plato ever lived. The elimination of those rights is unacceptable and ought not be tolerated.