Class-1-final-ppt-with-handwritten1661150374_1678813453.pdf

plato philosophy

1. “PSIR-
FOUNDATION”
By, Shashank Tyagi
Ex. Consultant, Office of Minister Social welfare, GNCTD
UPSC CSE Coach PSIR Optional, GS - IR, Polity & Governance

2. LECTURE - 2
Content :
Meaning of Political ?
Is Political Science, really a Science ?
State vs Government
Introduction to Western Political Thought
- Meaning of “West”
PLATO (Introduction)

3. Plato ( Overview )
➤Introduction
➤Sophists
➤Socrates
➤Plato
Plato’s Time
His work
Methodology
Influence of Socrates
➤ Theory of Ideas
➤ Theory of Justice
➤ Scheme of Education
➤ Communism of Wives & Property
➤ Ideal State & Philosopher King
➤ Evaluation of Plato
Criticism
Place in Political Thought

4. POLITICAL SCIENCE & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
➤Political + Science
➤ “Polis” - Greek word for a “city
state” (Ancient Greek) e.g. Sparta, Athens,
Florence,..

5. ➤Politics (from Greek: politiká, 'affairs of the cities') is the set of
activities that are associated with making decisions in groups,
or other forms of power relations between individuals, such as
the distribution of resources.
➤The academic study of politics is referred to as political
science.

6. ➤Polity -> Political system
➤Is Political Science really a science ?
➤Can any one of you say - Politics has nothing to do with
you ?

7. Politics impact our lives every day.
Our political choices determine our government, which, in turn,
determines
whether we can vote or consume alcohol,
how much we pay in taxes,
whether we can serve in the armed forces,
where we can build a home,
whether we can run a business in that home,
how much money we can get as a loan for educational expenses,
and even which types of food we eat.
Just about everything in our lives is connected to politics and
government.

8. State
Territory considered as an organised political
community.
State has four essential elements—Population,
Territory, Government and Sovereignty.
Government is only one element of the State.
Government
the group of people with the authority to govern
a state
the relation between a governed and a governing word.
It’s an Idea
It’s Concrete
form

9. Meaning of West
The “Western World” has changed in definition since its first
inception in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
In the first millennia, it mostly referred to Christian Europe
Meaning
of West

10. (2) European Christianity
Later, as Christianity spread, this came to include:
Germanic regions in the 4th century (Germany, Switzerland) Iberia
(Spain, Portugal), Ireland, and France in the 5th century
Britain in the 6th century
Netherlands in the 7th century
Meaning
of West

11. [3] Colonial and Expansionist Powers
Upon the 15th century, the Western world generally referred to
Europe in contrast to areas around the world subject to
colonization, such as Africa, the Americas, and the Asia.
Meaning
of West

12. [4] European-aligned Nations
Only until the 18th and 19th centuries, when many of
these colonies would become independent, did the Western
world expand to include countries like the United States,
Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Meaning
of West

13. [5] NATO-aligned nations
In the mid 20th century, the definition of Western world
became especially prominent, as it pitted democratic
capitalist Western Europe and North America against
authoritarian socialist nations like the Soviet Union and
China.
Meaning
of West

14. This was expanded into the First (NATO) / Second (Soviet) /
Third World (unaligned) stratification.
Meaning
of West

15. Democratic and Advanced Economies
Most common uses of Western World today build upon
that Cold War-era definition with modern alignments.

Meaning
of West

16. This includes the US, Canada, all of the European Union
(including former Soviet states), Australia, and New
Zealand.
Countries like Russia and India are typically excluded, on
the basis of economic development and alignment.
Meaning
of West

17. Political science originated with the ancient Greeks in the
first century BCE.
During this time, the philosopher Plato wrote numerous dialogues
about politics, asking about
➤the nature of justice,
➤what constitutes good government,
➤what is truly best for humanity.
Introduction to
Western Political
Thought

18. Alfred North Whitehead: "the safest characterisation
of the European philosophical tradition is that it
consists of a series of footnotes to Plato.”
Alfred North Whitehead
Introduction to
Western Political
Thought

19. Plato ( Overview )
➤Introduction
➤Sophists
➤Socrates
➤Plato
Plato’s Time
His work
Methodology
Influence of Socrates
➤ Theory of Ideas
➤ Theory of Justice
➤ Scheme of Education
➤ Communism of Wives & Property
➤ Ideal State & Philosopher King
➤ Evaluation of Plato
Criticism
Place in Political Thought

20. Predecessors of Plato
Sophists
were the 1st political educationist. ▪
Teachings:
•self-interests is over & above the
interests of the society & the state.
•were inspiring the youth to join politics,

suggesting that politics is a means of
good life because it gives access to
power and wealth.
• Athens: No public education
▪ The opportunity of education was
dependent on the paying capacity of a
person.

21. Acc. to Socrates, Whatever Sophists were teaching was
not true knowledge, thus they were burgling their
students.
Plato also called, Sophist’s teaching as rhetoric, instead of
giving right guidance, they were giving people what they
wanted to listen.

22. Socrates (470-399 BCE) :
Intro
It was Socrates who, in Cicero’s words,
“called down philosophy from the skies.” 

Socrates
Life of Socrates

23. Socrates’ Theory of Knowledge
Before Socrates, scholars were engaged in understanding the physical,
chemical and biological properties of life.
Socrates believed that it is not enough to know what constitutes life, rather it is
more important to know what constitutes ‘good life’ or ‘virtuous life.’

24. Objective of life is to lead ‘good life.’ In order to lead good life, we
should have ‘the knowledge’ of ‘good life.’
The source of ultimate knowledge is within ourselves.
According to him, our soul is the ultimate guide. What we should
do and what we should not, our soul can resolve the dilemma.
To understand the voice of the soul Socrates had proposed the
method of dialectics.

25. “I know that I know nothing” 
Socrates

26. Theory of knowledge: “Knowledge is Virtue”.

(This theory is in the context of Socrates criticism of
Sophists)
▪  Since knowledge is the source of virtue. We can’t live
and lead a good life without the knowledge.
▪  And the good life is required for the enlightenment of
soul. 


27. Dialectics is the way towards it
▪  “Since knowledge is a source of virtue. That state will be
a virtuous state which is ruled by knowledge.” Socrates
▪  Two Types of knowledge :
Opinion = not firm.
True knowledge = firm.
▪  Social well-being is necessary for the well-being of an
individual.
“Man is a social animal” Socrates

Socrates

28. For Socrates, "it’s not enough to be a good shoemaker, it’s more 

important to be a good human being. "
• Thesis → Anti-thesis → Synthesis
Socrates

29. Plato (427 to 347 BCE)

30. Intro and Background
Born in Ancient Greece - Athens
Family- Plato came from one of the wealthiest and most
politically active families in Athens. 


31. Major Concern: To regain the glory of Athens & become the
ideal state→ a perfect state.
▪ Until his mid-twenties, Athens was involved in a long and
disastrous military conflict:
• Peloponnesian war: Sparta vs Athens: Athens was defeated

32. Political Background of Plato:
•He could not identify himself with any of the contending
political parties or the succession of corrupt regimes, each
of which brought Athens to further decline
• Plato wanted to know the reasons of decline and defeat

33. Political Ideology:
•School of thought : Idealist
•Utopian
▪"Ought to be" > "what is”
• Very radical (original or fierce) in his ideas, revolutionary and
looks for holistic changes.

34. Sources of Influence:
Pythagoras
He suggested that universe can be known through
mathematics.
• "The universe is not in the state of chaos (lawlessness),
there is an order & harmony, there is some purpose behind
everything."
Hence, Plato’s love for geometry and mathematics is
influenced by the Pythagoras.

Plato's Theory of Soul
• Pythagoras' belief about the immortality of the soul was an
influence on Plato.

35. Parmenides
Sources of Influence on Plato
Idea of Permanence
Plato's Theory of Forms