The Republic Essay Paper Example For Students

The Republic Essay Paper The RepublicBook One of The Republic opens up with a discussion between Socrates and Cephalus, Polemarchus father, about old age and wealth. Cephalus conveys to Socrates that he believes being wealthy does not necessarily make you a happier person, but being wealthy makes it simpler to lead a good or moral life. Cephalus is quoted as follows,Its in this connection that wealth is most valuable, Id say, not for every man but for a decent an orderly one. Wealth can do a lot to save us from having to cheat or deceive someone against our will from having to depart for that other place in fear because we sacrifice to a good or money to a person. It has many other uses, but, benefit for benefit, Id say that this is how it is most useful to a man of any understanding. Socrates argues this statement of opinion by Cephalus, by saying that if living a just life is simply just telling the truth or giving back your debts,than that can sometimes be the wrong or unjust thing to do. He gives the exa mple of borrowing a knife from a friend, who eventually comes back for his knife but looks full of rage and has intentions of wrong-doing, than giving him the knife back which you owe him is certainly the wrong thing to do. Cephalus, not really interested in carrying on the argument exits from the conversation and his son, Polemarchus, protests Socrates argument and goes on to give his various definitions of what Justice actually means. Polemarchus initial definition was giving everyone what is appropriate or right to them, and it is not appropriate to give harmful things to your friends. Summarizing his definition, he is saying, Justice is pleasing your friends and harming your enemies. Socrates attacks this definition arguing that you shouldnt return evil with evil because it is not just to pose harm to anyone. After Polymarchus agrees with Socrates argument, Thrasymachus, who is tired of hearing all the arguing and debating wants Socrates to tell them what his definition of Justi ce is. Socrates explains to him that he doesnt himself know what it is and he is in pursuit of finding out what Justice us. Thrasymachus then goes on to give his own definition of what is Just.His definition is based upon the idea that what is right is what is in the best interest of the stronger party, in which a ruler makes laws of his own interests, and that is right for the weaker party to follow his laws. The discussion has somewhat shifted from the definition of Justice, to the functions and duties of a ruler of a state. When Thrasymachus gets back to theoriginal discussion of Justice, he says Justice is for fools and people live so-called good laws because they are trained that way and are actually afraid of doing otherwise. What he is basically saying is that good actions are foolish and cowardly, while evil actions are good for society. In the remaining of Book One Socrates attacks Thrasymachus distorted view of what morality is. We will write a custom essay on The Republic Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In Book Two Glaucon expresses his dissatisfaction with Socrates and Thrasymachus argument of Justice by saying But Im not yet satisfied by the argument on either side. I want to know what justice and injustice are and what power each itself has when its by itself in the soul. I want to leave out of account their rewards and what comes from each of them. So, if you agree, Ill renew the argument of Thrasymachus. First, Ill state what kind of thing people consider justice to be and what its origins are. Second, Ill argue that all who practice it do so unwillingly, as something necessary , as they do, for the life of an unjust person is, they say, much better than that of a just one. The purpose of Glaucons presenting these views, which are not his personal views, is in efforts of hearing what Socrates has to say against them. I feel that he is mainly seeking to find out from Socrates why it is actually better to live a just life versus an unjust life. .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb , .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb .postImageUrl , .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb , .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb:hover , .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb:visited , .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb:active { border:0!important; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb:active , .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc3e58dd5b43432a57311a0e162463ceb:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Senior Citizens EssaySocrates starts to answer Glaucon by giving a comparison, whi..ch was The investigation were undertaking is not an easy one but requires keen eyesight, we were to read small letters from a distance and then noticed that the same letters existed elsewhere in a larger size and on a larger surface.Wed consider it a godsend, I think, to be allowed to read the larger ones first and then to examine the smaller ones, to see whether they are really the same. What Socrates is saying is that justice exists in cities, or communities, which are larger than individuals and to understand Justice, we must examine Justice in a larger sense as a community, in order to make it easier to learn what it is on an individual level. What Socrates is starting to do is present his idea of what an Ideal State is. He talks a great deal about soldiers, or as he calls them guardians. He feels they should be thoroughly educated and trained while they are children because they will be the future leaders of the state. He believes children should be told moral uplifting stories about all the various Greek Gods and Heroes, but they shouldnt be exposed to evil stories involving murder and death because it may cause them to be cowardly and fearful. In the last part of Book Two, Socrates touched on the subject of elementary education, and in Book Three, he talks about how these moral stories he previously discussed should be presented to the children. Socrates says This concludes our discussion of the content of stories. We should now, I think, investigate their style, for well then have fully investigated both what should be said and how it should be said. Socrates talks about two different styles in which these stories can be told to the children they are narrative and representational form. I think what he means by representational form is something like a play where actors are acting out these stories. Also in Book Three, Plato describes the kinds of music these children or future generations should hear. He feels they should hear songs that are good for the soul, emotional, uplifting songs. I think an example of what he is talking about could be applied in todays terms as a song like R Kellys I Believe I Can Fly. In the end of Book Three, Socrates is talking about how to divide the children or future guardians into classes. He says the very best guardians should become the rulers, whose functions is to lead the community with the community best interests in mind. He also talks about the auxiliaries, whose duty is to execute the rulers decisions, in our society today they would probably be the policeman, soldiers, judges, and so on. Lastly, he describes the craftsmen, whose duty is to do the skilled work a society needs to function, they would be the doctors, farmers, plumbers, and so on. Finally we have arrived at Book Four in which Socrates talks about the purpose of finding the state was not to make the rulers happy but to make the community as an entirety happy. He also says we cant possibly find justice in a society where one class dominates and has all the advantages over another class. But he also states that we need to avoid two extremes: extreme wealth and extreme poverty,like if a craftsmen becomes extremely wealthy and doesnt want to practice his trade anymore. For example say a plumber wins the lottery and he wants to give up plumbing and this contagiously occurs our state will suffer. Socrates then goes on and feels he has found this ideal state he has been pursuing. He says since its a perfect society we should have four great virtues of wisdom, courage, discipline, and justice. The last point in Book Four I want to touch on is the Physical States of the Soul, Socrates discusseswhich are the Body and the Soul. The soul is composed of three parts, the Rat ional (Wisdom), the Spiritual (Courage), and the Appetitive (Biological Needs). Socrates says the Soul is the leader among the two, and a state of disease occurs when the soul is diseased, and a state of Justice is achieved when the soul is healthy.

Research Paper on Gold Rush

Research Paper on Gold Rush Gold in California was accidental discovered near an American river that would change the young growing state. All across America, young men made the decision to go to California. People came from Europe, Asia, and South America in search of instant wealth. The new American dream was to get rich, and to make a fortune quickly.( Miller 151) In 1839, one of the wealthiest people in California came over as an immigrant from Sweden; his name was John Sutter. His purpose of coming to California was to build his own private agricultural empire. In late 1847, James Marshall and about twenty other men were sent to a river by Sutter to build a sawmill. In order to supply enough lumber needed for Sutter’s ranch. On January 24, 1848 the sawmill was almost complete when something caught Marshall’s eye. Marshall picked up what he assumed to be gold, and while studying the gold he saw another piece. After making one of the greatest discovers in the history of the west, Marshall and his worker went back to work, but it wasn’t before long that they kept on finding more gold.( Glass 45-47 ) Even though Marshall was sure that he had found gold, he needed more proof, so Marshall to back some gold to Sutter. In order to test the gold Sutter used an encyclopedia that gave him clues about gold. Sutter made the conclusio n that it was gold, but neither Sutter nor Marshall was happy. The reason why was because Sutter thought that gold seekers might bring competition to his empire. Marshall had to finish building a sawmill and knew that gold seekers would just get in his way. The two men thought the way to prevent this from happening was to take an oath to keep the discovery of gold a secret. However it wasn’t long before the stories of gold discovered in California leaked out into the neighboring states. Unusually there wasn’t a rush to California, because the news of gold was just another tale to unlikely to really happen.( Internet A) Sam Brannan was a San Francisco merchant that would become the richest person in California even though he never mined for gold. Brannan’s plan was to run though the streets of San Francisco shouting the story about Marshall’s discovery of gold, and a proof to the people that there was really gold, Brannan held up a bottle of gold dust. Brannan’s plan worked and sparked the rush for gold. Another part of Brannan’s plan was to use the method of supply and demand. Brannan had bought every pickaxe, pan and shovel in the state. A metal pan that would have sold for twenty cents just a couple of days ago, Brannan now sold it for fifteen dollars. In nine weeks Brannan had made thirty-six thousand dollars .( Internet B) Most of the world’s gold is deep underground and embedded in hard rock. Unlike anywhere else in the world, gold in California was easy to get and free for anyone with a few tools. However, not only people that mined got rich there were a few people that got luck and didn’t have to mine for gold. One man was Levi Strauss who in 1853, stitched a pair of pants out of canvas. These long lasting pants later became very popular with the miners. These pants were so well made and popular that they are still around today.( Canine 34) The California gold rush not only brought Americans to California but foreigners such as the Chinese, Mexicans, Irish, Germans, French, and Turks. The foreigners had no intention of staying in California, their only reason for going there was to get gold and go home. However brining gold out of the country was hard because of bandits. As the amount of gold became less, the hatred towards foreigners became more. So the California legislature passed the Foreign Miners Tax in 1850. Which was twenty dollars per month that had to be paid by foreign miners. Once this law was passed many foreigners refused to pay the tax and left the country. African Americans that were brought over to California, as slaves were latter freed because in 1850, California was a free state. As gold became harder to get, so California had to undergo changes. By the early 1850s, a single worker could no longer work his area alone, so he needed help and technology to find more gold. To begin with miners would work together to dam rivers and reroute water to make the gold more visible. Soon after this happened the group of workers were taken over by corporations. The new corporation developed new ideas for mining gold that would destroy the rivers. One thing that miners would use was mercury. Miners would line their pan with mercury to create a type of magnet for gold. Unfortunetly, miners didn’t know the long term effects of using mercury, because mercury would be washed into the rivers and pollute the rivers as well as any animals that were living in the rivers. The most common way to safely mine gold was to use shallow metal pans, and mix soil from the riverbeds. Then by making circular motions with the pan, the lighter soil washed away, leaving only the gold. A m ore complex way of mining was the waterwheel that was introduced by the Chinese. The water would move the wheel, thus powering various mining machines.( Internet B) However the worst was yet to come when in 1853, the technique of hydraulic mining was introduced. Hydraulic mining used strong jets of water that tore apart the walls of the riverbeds. These jets of water were so powerful, that it could kill a man who was standing two hundred feet away. Miners would divert streams sending smaller stream off to each side of a river, thus leaving river beds exposed and easier to see gold. Water that was diverted from these jets onto dry land created a boggy mud that destroyed habitats for animals, and flooded the land that farmers used, that lived down stream of the miming. By the 1860s it was becoming aware to the people that hydraulic mining was destroying the landscape. However, little was done to try and stop hydraulic mining because still the only thing people in California thought ab out was themselves and getting rich. It took over thirty years to ban hydraulic mining. The rivers of northern California would never return to their original shape. Then again no part of California would ever be the same after the gold rush was finally over with. San Francisco was once a tiny little town within California. Only a few hundred people lived there in the 1840s, but because of the gold rush, it brought a huge population growth. San Francisco soon averaged thirty new houses and two murders each day. A piece of land in San Francisco coasted sixteen dollars in 1847, was then sold for forty five thousand dollars just eighteen months later. In less than two years the city of San Francisco burned to the ground six times. Of coarse there was always enough money to rebuild a bigger and better city. (Glass 48) Gold was similar to a magnet that brought people from all over the world. San Francisco quickly turned into a city that interested many types of people. California also became a melting pot of cultures due to the fact that so many foreigners came to California during the gold rush.