The Princeton Readings in Political Thought

Question 1 

In the Pericles' Funeral Oration, Thucydides focuses on trying to provide readers with a clear comparison of the governments in Athens and Sparta with the view that this would help expose their similarities among the people. The critical aspect to note is that Thucydides suggests that the two governments are similar resulting from their forms of government. That can be seen from the fact that two kings ruled Sparta while Athens was ruled by archons, who were elected by the people annually (Cohen & Fermon, 1996). The mode of leadership in both governments is very similar to the view that indeed they played vital roles in defining the structure of governance. In this particular extract, Thucydides infers to the fact that Athens acted as a critical source of democracy while Sparta focused more on the monarch system of government.

In the evaluation of Thucydides account of human nature, it is clear that it differs from Plato's account in several ways, which are essential towards building that general understanding of human nature from the two philosophers. The first significant difference reflects on the fact that Thucydides tends to hold the view that human being tends to submit much better when dealing with force and strength. In his analysis of human nature, Thucydides continually points to the mode of governance that has been projected through Sparta, which he believes would be of better outcomes in trying to achieve expected results. However, this differs from the views presented by Plato, who believes in the ideals of democracy as a capable platform through which to achieve positive results in governance. Plato believes in the need for having to use democracy as a way of ensuring that human beings would be able to submit.

The second key aspect to note is that Thucydides believes in the fact that human nature is driven by the confidence that one has within a given scenario taking into account the need for having to ensure that one remains resolute on such actions. In his view, human beings tend to show high levels of overconfidence when taking specific actions, which is a most likely outcome of the fact that it becomes essential for persons to take particular actions (Cohen & Fermon, 1996). However, this differs from the view presented by Plato, who believes that human beings are driven more by the consequences of their actions. In other words, this means that the majority of people tend to focus on the implications of their efforts to act as critical determinants of whether or not they would engage in such actions.

The impact of Thucydides’ account upon the fate of his state is that his actions are driven by the definition of what would be considered as a proactive change in his view of human nature. That means that if his account is accurate or correct, Thucydides would be expected to remain resolute in his pursuit towards understanding the general outcomes associated with human nature. Additionally, this would also mean that his belief in his abilities would be driven by the desire for him to show that indeed he is in a position allowing him to deliver on what he considers as his expected objectives. The ultimate result of this is that it creates a new approach through which persons can engage in what would be regarded as a proactive understanding of human nature.

Question 2 

The Oracle at Delphi- specifically, the god called Apollo characterized Socrates as being the wisest man in Athens with the view that Socrates had embraced a philosophy that would see him seek wisdom. The Oracle had revealed to one of Socrates’ friends that his pursuit for what he loved the most would lead him towards becoming a philosopher, literally meaning 'a lover of wisdom.' The Oracle believed that Socrates would be able to build his position as a philosopher taking into account that he indeed thought in himself as being wise (Cohen & Fermon, 1996). As part of his response to this, Socrates did not boast or celebrate, which, in his view, would have played a key role in trying to prove the Oracle wrong. However, in his pursuit of finding someone, who would be considered as smarter than him, Socrates was able to understand why the Oracle characterized him as the wisest.

Socrates, although believed in himself as being wise, did not consider the characterization by the Oracle as being accurate, as he thought that Athens would have someone, who would be more wiser than him. Socrates sought to make sense of the Oracle's characterization by questioning everyone he could find in Athens with the aim of trying to find the one person, who would be wiser. However, all the persons that he questioned failed to give him a satisfactory answer with the majority seeking to answer questions to something that they clearly did not understand. Thus, this led to the conclusion that indeed the Oracle may have been right considering that it was clear that he was the wisest in Athens.

Meletus, who was a poet, brought out two distinct charges against Socrates with the view that these charges would help describe him as lacking the wisdom that he portends as a philosopher. The essential first charge related to the fact that Socrates had refused to acknowledge the gods that had been recognized by the State in Athens (Cohen & Fermon, 1996). Instead, Socrates sought to introduce new and different gods depending on his wisdom. Meletus believed in the fact that this was a clear violation of the principles set out within Athens, as it was evident that Socrates viewed himself as being higher, regarding authority when compared to others in Athens. The second charge that was brought against Metetus reflected on the fact that he was corrupting the youth in Athens (Cohen & Fermon, 1996). The fact that Socrates sought to create a new approach or understanding to the idea of god was viewed as being critical towards corrupting the minds of the youth.

As part of his defense, Socrates focused on describing his motivation and method, which he believed would be essential towards highlighting to the jury the main reason why some people, who include the prosecutor, disliked him. On the other hand, Socrates sought to respond to the charges against him directly by suggesting that indeed he was accused of studying things in the sky, as well as, making a stronger argument. Using these two defense approaches, it was clear that indeed Socrates was able to maintain some form of proficiency in his responses. Socrates is condemned to death by the Athenians because he did not resonate with the gods that had been recognized in Athens, which was viewed as blasphemy by a majority of the people in Athens.

Question 3 

In his argument, Plato establishes the position that indeed for a state to be considered as ideal it must focus on maintaining justice for all. Plato’s argument for a just state can be seen from the fact that he believes in the theory of justice. In other words, he believes in the need for having to embrace a somewhat proactive approach towards ensuring that every individual within the state is accorded his or her rights regardless one’s social status (Cohen & Fermon, 1996). The state is expected to create a social system that would be able to accord every individual the same social status. In a just state, Plato believes in the need for having to ensure that indeed one is protected at all times with the focus being towards advancing the position that every individual is equal in all sense and understanding regardless of existing differentiations.

Plato develops and portrays the composition of an ideal state from these perspectives, which are essential to consider in ensuring that indeed societies build themselves towards maintaining their ideal. Firstly, Plato believes in the inclusion of police or military officers, who he considers as being essential in keeping order within the ideal state. For a country to be considered as being ideal, it must embrace a specific level of order, which would act as a clear-cut determinant of its ability to protect its citizens. Secondly, the state must have an executive group of philosophers, who are considered as being significant due to their role in ensuring that indeed they can pass on knowledge to others in society. Lastly, the state must have people, who are expected to handle their businesses without any form of distraction from areas such as leadership among others. The idealistic approach is to ensure that every individual in the society remains the same regardless of the existing diversities.

Plato's portrayal of the guardians reflects more on the idea that indeed they have a crucial responsibility in trying to create a society that every individual would be able to appreciate regardless of the existing challenges. The guardians are responsible for having to create equality among all the people in an ideal state with the view that this would seek to change the way in which people view the concept of equality (Cohen & Fermon, 1996). One of the key aspects to note from Plato’s argument is that he believed in the fact that indeed an ideal state may reflect more on creating a socialist structure that makes every individual the same. Thus, this means that no individual would be viewed as being at a higher level when compared to others regardless of the position held in the social institution.

Plato responds to the charge that he has failed to provide the public with the proper safeguards to deal with the abuses of power on the part of the ruling elite by highlight the concept of the rule of law. Plato indicated that his view of the rule of law is that it provided the people with all the power that they would want in trying to create an ideal society or state. His view is that people must be in a position that would allow them to recognize their authority from the perspective of the state. That would act as a guarantee that they would be able to limit the abuse of power from the ruling elite, who are viewed as being somewhat dictatorial in their approaches to given scenarios.

References

Cohen, M., & Fermon, N. (1996). Princeton Readings in political thought: Essential texts since Plato . New Jersey, NJ: Princeton University Press.