The Consequences of Context

In class on Thursday, we went on a brief tangent considering this question: if the potential philosopher kings dwelled upon the truth for long enough, would they reach the conclusion that the only thing that they can know for certain exists is their own consciousness? We decided that this would not be the case for a few reasons. In my opinion, the most interesting reason is that these people would be assuming, due to the context of their upbringing, that there is such a thing as truth in their lives, and the pursuit of it would be their primary goal.

Let's examine this further. Socrates is, in a way, constructing an elaborate structure for the creation of the ideal people. He builds this city on the premise that people are born with innate skills which, through the structure of the city, will be cultivated and improved. This is a huge concept in the city, and its a concept that modern ideas tend to clash with. Another assumption that is made is that, assuming the city is constructed perfectly, the people within the city will also fulfill their roles perfectly. The idea of a perfect human is quite alien to us, but Socrates proposes that, in theory, it is possible. In fact, the city depends on this. This idealism is very much a consequence of the context of the times: since Christianity's widespread popularity began, this idea has faded. This crucial difference, along with many others, explains quite a bit about many of the troubles we stumble upon when trying to understand The Republic. Context is always an important consideration when reading works of any time period; however, it is important that the work can stand alone and present relevant ideas as well.