Knowledge of Good in Platos The Republic Essay -- Philosophy Religio

An Intellectual Knowledge of Good in Platos Republic Socrates might be a wise philosopher just now genius of his root words strikes me as particularly naive. In the allegory of the cave, he tells Glaucon that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort and that this is the power upon which he the intellectual would act rationally (517b-c). In other words, he seems to be implying that knowledge of rightness is a sufficient condition for being good. A person who has seen what goodness is will henceforth act in a way that is good. Is this belief justified? For instance, we sometimes do things that we know are not good but we do them nonetheless and feel guilty after that. If, as such cases imply, knowledge of goodness is not a sufficient condition for being good, so Platos dream of a utopia ruled by philosopher-kings could well be a nightmare. The philosophers who are supposed to have attained the idea of good (and are and so p rivileged to hold the citizens together by persuasion and necessity 519e) might turn out to be dictators. What is this idea of good which Socrates is talking about? check to him, it is the universal author of all things beautiful and right and the source of reason and truth in the intellectual (517c). But it does not make any smell to me that a mere idea alone can produce great achievements with attributes like beauty, justice, reason and truth. Could it be that my interpretation of Socrates idea of good as a mere idea is mistaken? Perhaps what Socrates means is more than just an intellectual idea of good. Perhaps what he means when he says that one sees the idea of good is that one experiences goodness itself directly. In that case, se... ... he really has no solid evidence to back him up. If there is no evidence to show that the power for goodness is innate in human beings and that people who have seen what goodness is will want to be good, then there is also no excuse for th e belief that attaining the idea of good is sufficient for being good.Basically, Platos vision of utopia lies on the fundamental premise that the philosopher who has seen the light will either in public or private life fix his eye on this light (517c). In other words, he believes that the philosopher who has attained the idea of good will necessarily change state good. But there is no justification for such a belief (at least not in the allegory) and hence, his idea is not obviously sound.Work CitedPlato. Republic. Trans. gum benjamin Jowett. 8 Jan. 2001. .