The Search for True Moral Authority Essay - 2210 Words

In reading The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, one is struck by the two major political education ideals described in the book: the Spartan regime, praised by the Lacedaemonian king Archidamus, and the Athenian ideal, supported by Pericles, the Athenian ruler. Socrates discusses both of these regimes in Plato’s Republic in an attempt to make a statement about what constitutes true and effective education. After close analysis, it is clear that Socrates does not support either educational ideal. Instead, Socrates rejects both regimes—the Athenian because it has no real guidance and thus cannot produce wise and just people, and the Spartan because despite all its rigidity, it still does not truly train people to be wise and just. In†¦show more content†¦In The Republic, Socrates shows that both of these ancient regimes are insufficient modes of education. He begins by proposing that the ideal ruling situation for a city would be that all the desires in the commo n many are mastered by the desires and the prudence in the more decent few (Plato 4.431c-d).2 These more decent few, the guardians, are responsible for the education of the people in the city, picking those who are best from all the classes and educating them to live a life with rigorous boundaries (as exemplified by the treatment of what types of music and poetry the students should be exposed to) under the control of those in charge and without any say in their ways of life (Plato 3.415a-c). Their family, their education, and their occupation are all subsumed and manifested by the state. So it seems at first that Socrates considers the Spartan regime instead of the Athenian to be the correct way to raise people. But Socrates points out that even a leader reared in the Spartan regime is susceptible to corruption. In a discussion with Glaucon, Socrates says that even if the guardians could be raised in such strict ways, that education would still not guarantee that they would not become corrupt: And wouldn’t they have been provided with the greatest safeguard [against corruption and wrongdoing] if they have been really finely educated? [I asked.] But they have been, he said. And I said, It’s not fitShow MoreRelatedThe origin of piety956 Words   |  4 Pages The moral code of a society is established by many different factors. A large amount of different social guidelines are derived from religious doctrines. Due to the evolution of religion, social guidelines lack an absolute. The absolute of piety is what Socrates seemed to be searching for. His questioning of Euthyphro may have been due to his innocent curiosity. 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