Republic (Book III) by Plato
This post is part of my journey through the classic texts of Western civilization.
Book III continues right where Book II left off with Plato continuing to discuss what stories should be prohibited in the just city. Plato says that stories that speak ill of the afterlife should be removed. We want men to be brave and not fear death but rather actually praise the other world. A positive view of the afterlife would also comfort those grieving the death of a loved one; a negative view of the afterlife would only prolong and intensify this grieving. The just city should also not accept when poets show men mastered by laughter, for such a thing is apt to bring about a violent upset of feeling.
The issue of falsehoods/lies is also brought up, and whether or not they are to be allowed at all. According to Plato, while laymen/citizens are to be chastised for lies, Plato thinks it proper for rulers to utilize falsehoods/lies in order to "deal with enemies or indeed with citizens for the benefit of the city." One might initially dismiss this at first thought, but I think it is actually a rather interesting thing to consider. Rahab was justified in deceiving the king of Jericho by hiding the Israelite spies and not telling the Jericho soldiers. I do not think Plato is so far-fetched in his thinking here, for there may very well be a justifiable situation for a ruler to use deception for the good of the citizens.
Song and melody—what we would today call "music"—is also discussed. According to Plato, "lyric poetry is made up of three parts; words and tune and rhythm." There is also a discussion on which modes (e.g. Dorian, Lydian) are best suited for different occasions.
As we recall from Book II, part of the best education is gymnastic of the body, and Plato does give a more descriptive explanation of what that entails. Essentially, guardians need a "simple, reasonable gymnastic... which is concerned with war." Once again, like with the word "music", we might be tempted to import a modern definition of "gymnastic" into Plato's statement. Clearly, Plato is not concerned with training guardians to do fancy flips and acrobatics that are primarily for show. He is concerned for war and combat. For it is truly an ugly thing when one needs doctoring not due to wounds/illness but due to sloth or weakness from a certain lifestyle.
Plato also prescribes that doctors should care only for those who are "naturally good in body and soul." Those who are not naturally good in body will be left to die, while those naturally bad in soul should be actively put to death. This, he says, is the best thing both for them and also for the city.
There is a balance to be struck between music and gymnastic. There are two "natures" in man, one being a more "high-spirited" nature of courage and the other being a more gentle/moderate nature. Plato observes that a man who spends all his time in gymnastic while neglecting music turns out savage in a sort of corruption/abuse of his high-spirited nature. On the other hand, a man who spends all his time in music while neglecting gymnastic becomes soft. Guardians (and really all men) should aim for both natures; he should not neglect either gymnastic or music. For when there is concord between these two natures in a man, his soul is both temperate and brave. The search for the best guardians is really a search for the men who have mastered this balance.
Plato emphasizes the need for guardians to be older men: "Older men must be rulers, and the younger be the ruled." Specifically, he says that the best judge/juryman is one who is old but who grew up uncorrupted and pure, only learning of evil through knowledge and not by experience. Of course, old men eventually die and young men take their place, so the young boys should be watched closely from their youth and be tested for their resolve on what they believe to be true. The most resolved of these men should be chosen as guardians.
The book ends with Plato prescribing that guardians should be provided quarters/lodging in order to guard from the possibility of guardians abusing/damaging citizens because they are stronger than them. Further than that, guardians must not even own any private property (except what is absolutely necessary); they will be supported by the rest of the citizens (via taxes presumably). For if guardians were to own private property, they would begin to rule for their own good/sake rather than for the good of the city.