Join us on a journey through the philosophical musings of ancient Greece as we explore the question: what is the best city?
Socrates, one of the most renowned philosophers of his time, delved into this topic with great depth and insight. In this article, we will examine Socrates’ ideas on what makes a city ideal and explore the different types of cities he discusses.
From the Healthy City to the Feverish City, we will analyze each one and discover which one Socrates believes is the best.
So sit back, relax, and let’s dive into the world of ancient Greek philosophy to uncover the answer to this age-old question.
What City Does Socrates Believe Is The Best
Socrates believed that the best city is one that is just and promotes the virtues of wisdom, courage, and temperance. He argued that justice is a fundamental aspect of a good city, and it should be present in all its citizens.
To explore this idea further, Socrates proposed the concept of the Ideal City, which he believed would be the best city. The Ideal City is one where each individual specializes in a particular role, and the city provides necessities of life such as food, shelter, and clothing. Socrates called this city the Healthy City because it is governed only for necessary desires.
However, not everyone agreed with Socrates’ idea of the Healthy City. Some argued that it was impossible to have a city where people only had necessary desires. They pointed out that people would also want to have unnecessary desires such as wanting rich food, luxurious surroundings, and art.
To address this concern, Socrates and his followers looked into a much larger city called the Feverish City or Luxurious City. This city required a larger population and led to war in order to acquire more land. Socrates believed that this type of city would not improve the first city because if rulers were allowed to own property, they would eventually abuse their power and accumulate wealth for personal gain.
Socrates argued that the best city is one where each individual has a balanced soul with three parts: the mind or intellect, which sees what is real and judges what is true; lusts and hungers, which represent the opposite of right decisions; and the spirit, which should control the appetites. Justice is related to wisdom, courage, and temperance as harmony produced when each of the three parts functions.
In addition to promoting justice in the city, Socrates also believed in censorship of poetry to promote self-discipline and obedience among its citizens. He argued that poetry should prevent people from laughing violently and promote truth-telling but with the willingness to lie when this is conducive to the good of the city.
Socrates also emphasized the importance of physical education for the guardians of the city, which should include physical training that prepares them for war, a careful diet, and habits that contribute to the avoidance of doctors. Physical education should be geared to benefit the soul rather than the body, since the body necessarily benefits when the soul is in a good condition.
Introduction To Socrates’ Philosophical Views On The Best City
Socrates’ philosophical views on the best city revolve around the concept of justice and the promotion of virtues such as wisdom, courage, and temperance. He believed that a good city is one where each individual specializes in a particular role and the city provides necessities of life. Socrates called this city the Healthy City. However, some argued that it was impossible to have a city where people only had necessary desires. To address this concern, Socrates looked into a much larger city called the Feverish City or Luxurious City. He argued that the best city is one where each individual has a balanced soul with three parts: the mind or intellect, lusts and hungers, and the spirit. Justice is related to wisdom, courage, and temperance as harmony produced when each of the three parts functions. Socrates also emphasized the importance of physical education for the guardians of the city and censorship of poetry to promote self-discipline and obedience among its citizens.
The Characteristics Of An Ideal City According To Socrates
According to Socrates, an ideal city should have the following characteristics:
1. Justice: Justice is the fundamental aspect of a good city, and it should be present in all its citizens. Each individual should have a balanced soul with three parts: the mind or intellect, lusts and hungers, and the spirit, which should control the appetites.
2. Specialization: Each individual should specialize in a particular role within the city. This will ensure that everyone is doing what they are best at and that there is no overlap in responsibilities.
3. Necessities of life: The city should provide necessities of life such as food, shelter, and clothing to all its citizens.
4. Censorship of poetry: Poetry should be censored to promote self-discipline and obedience among citizens. It should prevent people from laughing violently and promote truth-telling but with the willingness to lie when this is conducive to the good of the city.
5. Physical education: The guardians of the city should receive physical education that prepares them for war, a careful diet, and habits that contribute to the avoidance of doctors. Physical education should be geared to benefit the soul rather than the body.
6. No private property: The guardians of the city should not have private property. They will have little privacy and will receive what they need from the city via taxation of the other classes.
7. Common messes: The guardians will live communally and have common messes.
8. Rulers selected from the class of guardians: The rulers of the just city are to be selected from the class of guardians. They need to be older, strong, wise, and wholly unwilling to do anything other than what is advantageous to the city.
9. A myth that justifies rulership: The rulers need to tell the citizens a myth that should be believed by subsequent generations in order for everyone to accept their position in the city.
The Healthy City: A Model Of Perfection?
The Healthy City, as proposed by Socrates, is a model of perfection that embodies the virtues of wisdom, courage, and temperance. It is a city where each individual specializes in a particular role, and the city provides necessities of life such as food, shelter, and clothing. Socrates believed that this city is the best because it is governed only for necessary desires and promotes justice in all its citizens.
In the Healthy City, each individual has a balanced soul with three parts: the mind or intellect, which sees what is real and judges what is true; lusts and hungers, which represent the opposite of right decisions; and the spirit, which should control the appetites. Justice is related to wisdom, courage, and temperance as harmony produced when each of the three parts functions.
Socrates believed that the Healthy City is superior to the Feverish or Luxurious City because it promotes self-discipline and obedience among its citizens. He argued that rulers should not be allowed to own property to prevent them from abusing their power and accumulating wealth for personal gain.
In addition to promoting justice in the city, Socrates also emphasized the importance of censorship of poetry to prevent people from laughing violently and promote truth-telling. Physical education for the guardians of the city should include physical training that prepares them for war, a careful diet, and habits that contribute to the avoidance of doctors. Physical education should be geared to benefit the soul rather than the body because the body necessarily benefits when the soul is in a good condition.
The Feverish City: A Cautionary Tale
While Socrates believed that the Ideal City was the best city, he also recognized the potential dangers of a larger, more luxurious city. The Feverish City, as he called it, was a cautionary tale of what could happen if rulers were allowed to accumulate wealth and power for their own personal gain. This type of city required a larger population and led to war in order to acquire more land.
Socrates argued that this type of city would not improve the first city because it would promote greed and selfishness among its rulers. He believed that the best city is one where each individual has a balanced soul with three parts: the mind or intellect, which sees what is real and judges what is true; lusts and hungers, which represent the opposite of right decisions; and the spirit, which should control the appetites.
In addition to promoting justice in the city, Socrates also believed in censorship of poetry to promote self-discipline and obedience among its citizens. He argued that poetry should prevent people from laughing violently and promote truth-telling but with the willingness to lie when this is conducive to the good of the city.
Socrates’ cautionary tale of the Feverish City serves as a reminder that larger cities can lead to corruption and greed among its rulers. Instead, he believed in a smaller, more balanced city where each individual specialized in a particular role and justice was promoted among all its citizens.
The Philosopher King: Socrates’ Vision For The Best City
Socrates believed that the best city should be governed by a philosopher king. He argued that philosophers are the ones best able to grasp what is good for the city and are in the best position to run and govern it. Socrates believed that only philosophers can have true knowledge, and their entire soul strives after truth.
According to Socrates, a philosopher loves truth more than anything else, and his or her entire soul strives after truth. This means that the rational part of their soul must rule, which means that their soul is just. Socrates argued that if we only knew that philosophers were virtuous or at least not inferior to others in virtue, then we could be sure that they are the ones most fit to rule.
Socrates acknowledged that most philosophers in his time were useless, and those that were not useless tended to be vicious. He argued that this was because they had not been raised in the right way. Men born with the philosophical nature—courageous, high-minded, quick learners, with faculties of memory—are quickly preyed upon by family and friends who hope to benefit from their natural gifts. They are encouraged to enter politics in order to win money and power by their parasitic family and friends. So they are inevitably led away from the philosophical life.
To address this issue, Socrates proposed a system where the rulers of the just city are selected from the class of guardians. They need to be older, strong, wise, and wholly unwilling to do anything other than what is advantageous to the city. Socrates suggested that they need to tell the citizens a myth that should be believed by subsequent generations in order for everyone to accept his position in the city. The myth of metals portrays each human as having a precious metal in them: those naturally suited to be rulers have gold, those suited to be guardians have silver, and those suited for farming and the other crafts have bronze.
Socrates believed that the philosopher king should be educated in the right way and come to grasp the Forms. He argued that this is not impossible and that all that we need to make our city possible is one such philosopher-king. The philosopher-king would be the person with the right nature who is educated in the right way and comes to grasp the Forms. Socrates believed that this person would be able to promote justice in the city and ensure that it is governed in a way that promotes wisdom, courage, and temperance.
Which City Does Socrates Believe Is The Best? A Conclusion.
After examining Socrates’ ideas about the Ideal City and the Feverish City, it becomes clear that he believed the best city is one that promotes justice, wisdom, courage, and temperance. The Healthy City, where individuals specialize in particular roles and the city provides necessities of life, is the city that Socrates believed would be the best. However, he also recognized the challenges of maintaining such a city and acknowledged the need for censorship of poetry and physical education for its citizens. Ultimately, Socrates believed that promoting balance in the individual’s soul is key to achieving a just and healthy city.
