Outline and Critique Plato’s Tripartite Model of Self and Society

Plato was one of the great philosophers of his time; he had a special interest in human nature and the society around him. He put forward the idea of a tripartite model of self and society, which was an outline of the different classes and the part that each of these should play within society.

Plato (429-347 BCE) came from a wealthy, influential Athenian family, at a time when a great number of philosophers were emerging, questioning the world around them. Plato’s interest in philosophy grew from Socrates, ‘the market place philosopher’. Unlike most philosophers of the time Socrates was not from an aristocratic family, although a great deal of people admired him there were also those who felt threatened by him. After Socrates was sentenced to death by the people of Athens, Plato decided to leave Athens and travel.  He had always had quite a negative view on humans, but the murder as he saw it of Socrates only deepened this. It is understandable that his “thought represented a reaction to the view that everyone should rely on the validity of their own judgements.” (Ideas of human nature) When returning to Athens he opened an Academy where he taught both his and Socrates ideas to budding philosophers.

 Plato also studied other philosophers before him, one of which was Heroclitus who had the idea the world is always changing, so is anything then really good because even if it’s good today it won’t be tomorrow. Plato took this thought and expanded on it that we are made up of two parts; our body which is always changing and our soul which stays the same and when we die it leaves our bodies. He believed the world was also like this that it had a perfect realm.

 He formed the view early on that some within society have weak minds and these people need to be looked after and kept control of, this was the basis for his tripartite model. Plato describes how he sees the different classes, in the myth of the cave; the bronze people sit on the floor of the cave chained down. Behind them is a wall, where the silver are caring goods.  There is a fire in the cave this creates shadows that the bronze can see of the silver. One day one of the bronze escapes and brakes out of the cave and sees the light of reality and enlightenment. He goes back into the cave telling the other bronze what he has seen and telling them they should also escape, they think he is crazy and tell him to go away. They go back to watching the shadows on the wall. The myth is meant to symbolise how the bronze do not really see the world around them clearly, this is in the description of them only seeing shadows, and that the bronze don’t want to better themselves even when given the chance. It is possible for a few bronze to be enlightened but this is rare and when it happens they are no longer welcomed within the bronze world.