Plato's "Republic"

            “Or in such a regime haven’t you yet seen men who have been sentenced to death or exile, nonetheless staying and carrying on right in the middle of things; and, as though no one cared or saw, stalking the land like a hero?”   This quote, speaking about a democracy, can definitely be applied still today. It’s interesting to see how some of the political problems occurring two thousand years ago and more can still make sense to us today, because they’re still happening. Not that the justice system doesn’t work or doesn’t do its job, but there are obviously instances where a sentencing isn’t what the prosecution wants or that the public feels the defendant deserves—especially in cases like this, where it’s about the life of a person, no matter what they did or what happened, it can be difficult to please everyone. Sometimes it doesn’t seem fair or the public doesn’t agree with it, but in order to keep the system working the way it’s supposed to and keep order, there are some things that fall through the cracks a little.

            “…and naming shame simplicity, they push it out with dishonor, a fugitive; calling moderation cowardliness and spattering it with mud, they banish it; persuading that measure and orderly expenditure are rustic and illiberal, they join with many useless desires in driving them over the frontier”.     I like how here Plato says (speaking as Socrates) that moderation is called cowardliness by some people and shame being simplistic. Those necessary qualities can be pushed aside in the pursuit of wealth or notoriety, because to some people doing things in moderation or being aware of what you’re doing—which could lead to feeling shameful—could be in itself a little shameful. Being able to do things in moderation and having a sense of shame, or at least a sense of decency, is important. Especially for someone in government, which is what Plato is talking about.

           Question: Was this text taken as a kind of manual for how to be a good, upstanding citizen, or was it just for education and reflection on the part of the reader?