Oppression Of Women In Plato's Republic

Words: 1059

Pages: 5

Open Document

Plato’s Republic, a philosophical work pertaining to the creation of a fictionalized city in order to resolve certain questions about human virtue and justice through the voice of Socrates, was groundbreaking during the time of the Ancient Greeks. Still today, many of his ideas are seen as radical in the context of modern society. One specific example of this disparity is in the role that women play in the Plato’s city. Women in the Republic hold the same standing as men – an concempt that has not be realized even today. 1,000 years prior to the publication of the Republic, Hammurabi’s Laws portray women in Mesopotamia in a way that is much more familiar to the modern world, as well as to Plato’s own people. However, despite the seemingly progressive nature of Plato’s stance on social equality of the sexes, his ideas stem from the need to survive and to place the good of the city above all else. Furthermore, though he does, in theory, treat women as equals to their men, he denounces many traits that define the female gender rather than recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of both masculinity and femininity. Though the result of this line of thought leads to a seemingly radical society, the …show more content…
As a result, the woman would be able to support herself without her husband. However, women were still under the authority of a man at all points in their life. There were exceptions to this idea. One such exception are the Nad’itu. The Nad’itu were generally independent and live outside of the typical patriarchal dynamic of the time. These women were not very common, however, and held a very specific position in society. Even still, these women were not immune from the various inequalities of their civilization. It is still important to recognize the nuances of Ancient Mesopotamian society, just as with Plato’s

Biography Of Socrates

chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary Aristophanes. Many would claim that Plato's dialogues are the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity. Through his portrayal in Plato's dialogues, Socrates has become renowned for his contribution to the field of ethics, and it is this Platonic Socrates who also lends his name to the concepts of Socratic irony and the Socratic…

Words 9241 - Pages 37

History 101 Study Guide Essay

What are the triangular indentations used for the script of the Sumerians called?[pic] Cuneiform[pic] Who was Gilgamesh, and which city did he rule?[pic] Gilgamesh was the King of Uruk. His reputation inspired the Epic of Gilgamesh/5th king of Uruk(2500 BC), reigned 126 yrs/lugal “big man”(leader) wealthy young man, warrior [pic]Which technologies were used by the earliest Western civilizations? [pic] Stone, wood, leather, and fibers[pic]/ 1st appearance of tools (bone, wood…

Words 1771 - Pages 8

Essay about Muses: Dystopia and Thought-provoking Questions

Study Guide Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World continues a long tradition of utopian literature. As far back as Plato’s Republic, visions of a world in which everything is in its place have tantalized writers, philosophers, and sociologists. In the nineteenth century, utopias were not long written about, but some were attempted. The realization that any imagined perfect world would be doomed to fail (combined with the fact that most of the attempted utopias did fail) gave rise to the…

Words 2427 - Pages 10

Constitutional Right to Privacy and the Us Patriot Act Essays

Privacy Essay Privacy. What do you think the average American would say if you told them they have no Constitutional Right to Privacy, as privacy is never mentioned anywhere in the Constitution? That the information they share over the World Wide Web has little if any protection by or from the government. Of course our government is hard at work to modernize the form of weeding out the unsanitary to which some cenacles might call censorship. But the main question still stands, do we have a right…

Words 4852 - Pages 20

Compare and Contrast Leadership Theories Essay

Leadership From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”. Definitions more inclusive of followers have also emerged. Alan Keith of Genentech states that, "Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen." According to Ken "SKC" Ogbonnia, "effective leadership is the ability…

Words 9971 - Pages 40

Gp Essay Mainpoints

GP NOTES 2010 (ESSAY) Content Page 1. Media a. New vs. Traditional b. New: narcissistic? c. Government Censorship d. Profit-driven Media e. Advertising f. Private life of public figures g. Celebrity as a role model h. Blame media for our problems i. Power + Responsibility of Media j. Media ethics k. New Media and Democracy 2. Science/Tech a. Science and Ethics b. Government and scientist role in science c. Rely too much on technology? d. Nuclear technology…

Words 24667 - Pages 99

Sources of Ethics Essay

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0- JOHN STEINER AND GEORGE STEINER SIX PRIMARY SOURCES OF ETHICS: 6 1- Religion: 6 2- Genetic Inheritance: 8 3- Philosophical Systems: 8 4- Cultural Experience: 8 5- The Legal System: 9 6- Codes of Conduct: 9 2.0- EXPLANATION OF THE SOURCES OF ETHICS: 10 2.1- RELIGION: 10 Teaching business ethics 12 2.11- Impact Of Religiosity: 13 2.12- Ethics Of Islam: 14 Nature of Islamic Ethics 17 The Human-Environment Relationship: 20 The Sustainable…

Words 20200 - Pages 81