Plato and Confucius
Plato and ConfuciusPlatos ideal regime achieve\\\'s justice by controlling
individuals and their desires by setting down a compact to not tolerate injustice or suffering. By setting down laws and compacts and to name what the law commands lawful and just(Bloom,359a)
Plato believed that even individuals who
practice justice are forced to do it from the inability to
do injustice due to fears of punishment. Plato felt that a
democracy or rule of the people gave each man, both just and unjust, license to do whatever they wanted. While he felt that the law of a strong form of government would force men to honor the laws equally. Plato believed that justice was
the advantage of the stronger, which to him was the control of the ruling body of the city by being master over the people and punishing any who broke the laws set down by the regime.(Bloom,338e-339a) Plato to believed that education and rearing of the ruler of the city or regime would create a perfect and just man. And he felt that the ruler must be older, while the ruled younger. Age is something that gives his perfect regime more control than one based on wisdom. He
thought that the philosopher should be seen as the father, over the younger people of the city. He also feels that old men are afraid of death, and therefore less likely to risk torment in the afterlife by having selfish desires, such as for money. He believed that men would obey the laws in hopes of rewards and fear of punishment in this life and the next. He believed that the ruling regime must be most skilled at guarding the city with the interest of the city in their convictions. Plato believed that the regime once started, will roll on like a circle in its growth because of sound rearing and education producing good and sound natured
offspring to carry on the order.(424a) He wanted a city
ruled by philosophic class. He believed that when a ruler
sets down the laws and practices that citizens would follow them. He felt that the regime could command people who would follow because they knew what their role in the ordered society was, such as a farmers job to farm and a soldiers job to protect the city for the common good. Plato saw job of
philosophers to compel the best natures to study to see the
good and ascent up in intellect, to know what injustice is
and never want to do it. What he meant by best natures is
simply the educated who have experienced truth and are the
best to rule.(519c) Plato believed that healthy souls came
from the knowledge of justice. He believed that just men,
who were the pupils of the philosopher would not disobey them
but join in the labors of the city.(520d) To him justice is
not one\\\'s own good, but the common good of the Republic.
Plato believed that order was the most important
responsibility of a regime and that his ideal one was most
suited for this, unlike that of a democracy, which gave to
much free will or liberty to men to do whatever he wants. He
felt that the poor, uneducated citizen neither understood
order, or knew the truth. Saw the citizen as a prisioner in
a cave, that still did not have the knowledge of what the
truth really was. Plato therefore believed that the
intellegent educated philosopher knew the truth and therefore
would be just. Plato believed that the philosopher had
attained the truth after years of searching for it by way of
education and age. He likewise felt that it was the
philosopher class that would lead a city not for personal
gain, which would cause anger among the common people, but
one of harmony was the goal of his ideal regime.
Platos regime is based on reason of an educated man,
that wasn\\\'t corrupt, but one that had knowledge of what was
just, working side by side, improving from one generation to
the next. And those who were leaders of the cities were ones
that showed the highest abilities in intellect, while those
least in ability of knowledge, would be of the lower class,
such as farmers and merchants. To Plato only the philosophy
class would have the knowledge to rule all equally and har-
moniously. He felt that people would honor the ruling class,
like parents who had taught their kids what was just and fair,
and so obeyed them as rulers.(538c) Felt that the philosoph-
ers that should rule, was those that for all their lives had
gained knowledge, and was only interested in the good of the
city, coming into politics for the necessary reason that he
was needed.(540b) Plato certainly thought that when true
philosophers came to power, they would put what was right and
honorable above all and being just and equal to all.
Plato certainly felt that everyone should be equal,
including women believing that education could foster a
common bond between all people. He thought that soldiers should live in simular houses, all being paid the same. He
wanted a city where all the people was equal, and where each
person had a role to play in making the city function in
harmony. Plato thought that his regime would get rid of the
problems of injustice, by getting rid of corrupt rulers only
interested in personal gain, not in the interest of the city
as a whole.
Plato certainly feel that it is impossible for a
democracy to achieve justice because citizens would have
free will to do unjust acts that benefit one at the harm of
another. He wanted a regime based on order and reason, not
on the passions of people that he felt a democracy permitted
its people to do. Plato saw the oligarchic, democratic, and
tyrannic regimes as each being unjust, the last being the
worst, while the philosophic regime to him has a type of man
that is both good and just. Plato believes that it is unjust
for the poor to establish a democracy by killing others and
creating a regime that lets people do what they want in
organizing their lives. Plato feels that democracy means
freedom of the people to choose their actions, some have the
freedom to not obey laws. He felt that democracy may be
sweet for moment, but not the order and reasoned city he
wanted under his ideal regime.
Plato feels that personal desires of democratic man is
one of passion and self interest of money and personal gain,
going from one personal desire to another, such as drinking,
money making, and neglecting education. Plato felt that men
would change their minds on politics as often as they choose
and that there was neither order nor necessity in life, but
calling life sweet and free.(561e) Plato say this democratic
man as having many dispositions, with many patterns of
regimes and characters.(561e) Plato certainly believes that
democracy leads to injustice because people are free to
indulge in their own selfish individual desires, not in the
harmony of a ordered society ruled by a educated reasoned
philosopher class that understood the truth and justice.
Confucius concern with benevolence can be applied to
government, just as Plato\\\'s concern with justice could,
because both believed that if the common people was ruled
over justly or with dignity that they would be reverent and
obey the government.(Wills, Jr.p.22) Confucius believed that
the ruler should set an example for his officials to follow
and promote men of talent. He believed that the selection of
good officials, and the setting of good moral examples would
be enough to keep order. Confucius believed that any
educated moral man should be involved in government. It was
Confucius that insisted that anyone, not just those with
hereditary right to office could \\\"aspire to be gentlemen,
who sought education, moral growth, and involvement in
governing.\\\"(Wills, Jr.pp.24-5)
Confucius believed in the Way, for man to be fully
human, to live in peace and harmony with nature and their
fellow human beings.(Wills, Jr.p.26) Confucius believed in
benevolence (ren) that is composed of the characters of man and two. It meant manly or handsome in early Zhou texts, but
it represents the highest realization of man in desire to do
good and to treat others with kindness. Plato talked about
justice, while Confucius used the term benevolence as the sum
of all virtues. Plato saw justice as being just, which is a
moral virtue, but Confucius\\\'s benevolence covers all virtue
and requires a person to be selfless. In order to be
benevolent depends on oneself alone and not on others. Wills
says that \\\"the Zhong yong (Doctrine of the Mean) showed
benevolence as the sum of all the virtues, the fullest
realization of what it is to be a human being, but also went
beyond this to an ideal of sincerity (cheng), or perfect
harmony of word and actuality, in which this moral sincerity
opened the way to a harmony with the cosmos.\\\"(31) Plato
believed that justice as emerging from the stable and
harmonious relations among the three classes. Plato believed
that people was either born to be leaders or to be ruled, and
that the classes could not advance. Confucius wanted an
ideal society in which everyone would faithfully discharge
the duty proper to his or her calling and in proper order,
including not only sons obedient to their fathers, but all
obedient to their rulers, living in peace and harmony.
Plato wanted an ideal state that was a perfect system
of fixed classes of men, with elite philosophers guided by
pure reason and ruling justly at the top, protected by a
soldiery class, and workers at the bottom forced to obey
laws.(Bronstein.p.141) Confucius believed that anyone
through education and living a moral life could attain
success in life, which included the chance for an individual
to be in government. Confucius did not believe that the
classes were forever fixed based on the fact that he had
been in and out of power, traveling and looking for jobs
in government to help the people to be ruled justly and
promote a moral example of how everyone should live in
peace and harmony. Both believed in justice, but only
Confucius had faith in the people that they are moral and ethical, and obey the law not for fear of force, but because they are treated justly and benevolently by those in power, and therefore would want peace and harmony that was maintained by a moral, ethical, benevolent ruler who was at peace with nature.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bloom, Allan.The Republic Of Plato.2nd ed. Basic Books.1968
Bronstein, Daniel J. et al. Basic Problems of Philosophy,
3rd Edition.Prentice-Hall, Inc.1964.p.141.
Wills, Jr., John E. Mountain of Fame: Portraits in Chinese
History. Princeton University Press.1996.pp.11-32