COMMUNISM
According to Plato, justice could be achieved by spiritual and material means. While education is the
remedial measure for the achievement of justice through spiritual means communism is the solution
through material means. While education was designed to create the proper environment for the
nurturing and development of the human soul, the communism tried to eliminate all the negativities
that obstructed the proper growth of the individual.
Platonic theory of communism has two parts - communism of family otherwise known as
communism of wives and children, and communism of property. If his theory of communism of
property is a logical corollary of his conception of justice, his theory of communism of families was
a logical corollary of his views on communism of property.
Plato's ideal state consisted of three classes, those of the rulers, of the auxiliaries, and of the
producers, each class doing its own assigned duties and responsibilities with utmost sincerity and
devotion. The guardians are to live a life very different from that of the producers, one in which they
must forgo all that makes life for the ordinary man worth living. Plato believed that justice would be
ushered in if the ruling class does away with property, for property represents the elements of
appetite, and to do away with properly demands the communism of families. As Ernest Barker has
rightly pointed out the abolition of family life among the guardians is thus, inevitably a corollary of
their renunciation of private property. ' According to Prof. Dunning “primary property and family
relationships appear to be the chief sources of dissension in every community, neither is to have
recognition in the perfect state”. Anxiety for one's children is a form of self-seeking more insidious
than the desire for property.
Plato abolished private family life and property for the ruling class for they concouraged nepotism,
favoritism particularism, factionalism and other corrupt practices commonly found among the rulers.
Politics was to promote common food and interest of the state. Plato thereby established a high
standard for the rulers. He proposed that the members of the guardian class live together in a
common barrack. The life of the guardian class would be in accordance with the rule followed among
the Greeks that friends have all things in common. In the Republic Plato devoted greater space and
consideration to communism of family than to property. This was mainly because he had perturbed
by the negative emotions of hatred, selfishness and the envy that the family encouraged. Plato
believed that conventional marriage led to women's subordination, subjugation and seclusion. He
rejected the idea of marriage as a spiritual union based on love and mutual respect. However,
marriage was necessary to ensure the reproduction and continuation of the human race. He,
therefore, advocated temporary sexual union for the purpose of bearing the children. He relieved
women of child caring responsibilities. Once children were born, they would be taken care of by the state controlled unserious, which would be equipped with well trained nurses. Except for the
philosopher ruler, none would know the parentage of these children.
Plato's argument for communism of property and family was that the unity of the state demands their
abolition. Prof. Sabine wrote thus: “The unity of the state is to secure; property and family stand in
the way; therefore, property and marriage must go.
COMPARISON WITH MODERN COMMUNISM.
There are similarities and difference between Platonic communism and modern communism. Both
are alike in the sense that both ignore the individuality of the citizens and are based on the
supremacy of the state which absorbs the individual. Both are totalitarian covering various aspects of
the life of the individual. Both are based on the ignorance of the essentials of human nature and
human instincts. Further, both are calculated to eliminate unregulated economic competition based
on individualism. Platonic communism and modern communism meant to promote political unity and
social harmony and to develop the sense of social service.
There are some fundamental differences between Platonic communism and modern communism.
Plato’s communism has a political objective - an economic solution of a political ailment, Plato’s
communism is limited to only two upper classes – the rulers and the auxiliaries while Marx’s
communism applies to the whole society. As Prof. C.C. Maxey has rightly pointed out, Plato's basis
of communism is material temptation and it’s nature is individualist while Marx' basis is the growth of
social evils, which result from the accumulation of private property in addition to the above
differences, Platonic communism is opposed to modern communism on some other points. Plato's
communism was calculated to prevent concentration of economic and political power in the same
hands; modern communism gives political power to the producing class. Plato's communism
involved abolition of private family life and private property; modern communism intends to abolish
private property only.
Criticisms
Plato's theory of communism has been denounced by many from his disciple Aristotle down to Karl
Popper. Aristotle criticizes Plato for having ignored the natural instinct of acquisition, making the
scheme partial in so far as excluding the producing class from it was declaring it ascetic and
aristocratic, surrendering all the best for the guardians. Others, including Karl Popper, condemn
Plato's scheme of communism on numerous grounds. The following are some of the criticisms
leveled against Platonic communism.
1. It is doubtful if communism of families would bring greater degree of unity by making the
guardians a single family.
2. Communism of wives and children was found to create confusion if not disorder - one female
would be wife of all the guardians and one male, the husband of all the females
3. Common children would tend to be neglected, for every body's child would be nobody's baby.
4. It is also doubtful if the state controlled mating would ever be workable; it would rather reduce
men and women to the levels of mere animals by suggesting temporary marital relationship.Plato’s communism of family suggests a system of marriage which is neither monogamy nor
bigamy, nor polygamy, nor polyandry; and finally.
6. Plato's theory of communism is too idealistic, too utopian, too imaginary and accordingly far
away from the realities of life. Some critics have gone to the extent of criticizing Platonic
communism as half communism.
So this is all about it thanks for reading.
According to Plato, justice could be achieved by spiritual and material means. While education is the
remedial measure for the achievement of justice through spiritual means communism is the solution
through material means. While education was designed to create the proper environment for the
nurturing and development of the human soul, the communism tried to eliminate all the negativities
that obstructed the proper growth of the individual.
Platonic theory of communism has two parts - communism of family otherwise known as
communism of wives and children, and communism of property. If his theory of communism of
property is a logical corollary of his conception of justice, his theory of communism of families was
a logical corollary of his views on communism of property.
Plato's ideal state consisted of three classes, those of the rulers, of the auxiliaries, and of the
producers, each class doing its own assigned duties and responsibilities with utmost sincerity and
devotion. The guardians are to live a life very different from that of the producers, one in which they
must forgo all that makes life for the ordinary man worth living. Plato believed that justice would be
ushered in if the ruling class does away with property, for property represents the elements of
appetite, and to do away with properly demands the communism of families. As Ernest Barker has
rightly pointed out the abolition of family life among the guardians is thus, inevitably a corollary of
their renunciation of private property. ' According to Prof. Dunning “primary property and family
relationships appear to be the chief sources of dissension in every community, neither is to have
recognition in the perfect state”. Anxiety for one's children is a form of self-seeking more insidious
than the desire for property.
Plato abolished private family life and property for the ruling class for they concouraged nepotism,
favoritism particularism, factionalism and other corrupt practices commonly found among the rulers.
Politics was to promote common food and interest of the state. Plato thereby established a high
standard for the rulers. He proposed that the members of the guardian class live together in a
common barrack. The life of the guardian class would be in accordance with the rule followed among
the Greeks that friends have all things in common. In the Republic Plato devoted greater space and
consideration to communism of family than to property. This was mainly because he had perturbed
by the negative emotions of hatred, selfishness and the envy that the family encouraged. Plato
believed that conventional marriage led to women's subordination, subjugation and seclusion. He
rejected the idea of marriage as a spiritual union based on love and mutual respect. However,
marriage was necessary to ensure the reproduction and continuation of the human race. He,
therefore, advocated temporary sexual union for the purpose of bearing the children. He relieved
women of child caring responsibilities. Once children were born, they would be taken care of by the state controlled unserious, which would be equipped with well trained nurses. Except for the
philosopher ruler, none would know the parentage of these children.
Plato's argument for communism of property and family was that the unity of the state demands their
abolition. Prof. Sabine wrote thus: “The unity of the state is to secure; property and family stand in
the way; therefore, property and marriage must go.
COMPARISON WITH MODERN COMMUNISM.
There are similarities and difference between Platonic communism and modern communism. Both
are alike in the sense that both ignore the individuality of the citizens and are based on the
supremacy of the state which absorbs the individual. Both are totalitarian covering various aspects of
the life of the individual. Both are based on the ignorance of the essentials of human nature and
human instincts. Further, both are calculated to eliminate unregulated economic competition based
on individualism. Platonic communism and modern communism meant to promote political unity and
social harmony and to develop the sense of social service.
There are some fundamental differences between Platonic communism and modern communism.
Plato’s communism has a political objective - an economic solution of a political ailment, Plato’s
communism is limited to only two upper classes – the rulers and the auxiliaries while Marx’s
communism applies to the whole society. As Prof. C.C. Maxey has rightly pointed out, Plato's basis
of communism is material temptation and it’s nature is individualist while Marx' basis is the growth of
social evils, which result from the accumulation of private property in addition to the above
differences, Platonic communism is opposed to modern communism on some other points. Plato's
communism was calculated to prevent concentration of economic and political power in the same
hands; modern communism gives political power to the producing class. Plato's communism
involved abolition of private family life and private property; modern communism intends to abolish
private property only.
Criticisms
Plato's theory of communism has been denounced by many from his disciple Aristotle down to Karl
Popper. Aristotle criticizes Plato for having ignored the natural instinct of acquisition, making the
scheme partial in so far as excluding the producing class from it was declaring it ascetic and
aristocratic, surrendering all the best for the guardians. Others, including Karl Popper, condemn
Plato's scheme of communism on numerous grounds. The following are some of the criticisms
leveled against Platonic communism.
1. It is doubtful if communism of families would bring greater degree of unity by making the
guardians a single family.
2. Communism of wives and children was found to create confusion if not disorder - one female
would be wife of all the guardians and one male, the husband of all the females
3. Common children would tend to be neglected, for every body's child would be nobody's baby.
4. It is also doubtful if the state controlled mating would ever be workable; it would rather reduce
men and women to the levels of mere animals by suggesting temporary marital relationship.Plato’s communism of family suggests a system of marriage which is neither monogamy nor
bigamy, nor polygamy, nor polyandry; and finally.
6. Plato's theory of communism is too idealistic, too utopian, too imaginary and accordingly far
away from the realities of life. Some critics have gone to the extent of criticizing Platonic
communism as half communism.
So this is all about it thanks for reading.
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