Plato’s Reforms in the Republic

In Book V of the Republic, Plato proposes a number of reforms that need to be made
in order to establish an ideal constitutional order that he envisioned. Some of these reforms
were radical then and still remain radical even by the standards of today. The reforms mainly
relate to Guardians, an elite group that will form the ruling class in the ideal state.
Among the key reforms that he proposes include inclusion of women in the ranks of
the Guardians, the state’s ruling elite. This inclusion means that women too would have to
receive the same type of education as men. Not only will they be taught arts but also
gymnastics, just the same way it was done to men (Reeve 401).
The next set of reforms relate to marriage, reproduction, and raising of children
among the Guardians. Plato reasons that since preservation of unity is the key goal of the
ideal state, its ruling class should have loyalty to the state alone and their interests should be
the interests of the state. To this end, it is important that they should not have familial loyalty
or personal interests to advance. To achieve these goals, Plato proposes state control of
marriages and the practice of eugenics in order to produce high-quality breed of children. He
also proposes that the children be brought up communally without knowing their true parents
so that their loyalty will purely be to the state (Reeve 402). He then proposes state control of
sexual intercourse to prevent incest, and abolition of private property among Guardians to
prevent them from having any interests other than those of the state.

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Some of these ideas were radical during Plato’s time but are no longer radical or
shocking in modern times. For instance, during Plato’s time, leadership was strictly a man’s
preserve. Thus, it would be radical to suggest that women should also participate in the
leadership of a state. It would also be radical to suggest that women receive the same
education as men, including physical education. While radical then, these ideas are no longer
radical. In many modern societies, women and men receive the same education and political
leadership is no longer a preserve for men.
The other of Plato’s ideas in the Republic, however, remain as radical as they were
when they were first proposed. These ideas include state control of marriage and sexual
intercourse, communal raising of children without them knowing their biological parents or
parents knowing their biological children, and abolition of private property. In modern times,
just as it was during the time of Plato, the idea that the state should control who one marries
or have sexual relations with would is not just unacceptable but also shocking. Many people
will also find the idea of communal raising of children strange. Modern readers would
perhaps find the practice of eugenics as one of the most unacceptable of Plato’s ideas in the
Republic. Eugenics, as suggested by Plato, and more recently by figures such as Hitler, is
based on the idea that some people are genetically superior to others and it is these
genetically superior individuals alone who have the right to reproduce. Such an idea is not
only radical but also unacceptable in modern times. Additionally, having witnessed the
failure of communist societies, many people are also unlikely to find favor with the idea of
abolition of private property. Lastly, the whole idea of making extreme individual sacrifices
and losing one’s personality for the sake of the strength and unity of the state is also out of
favor with modern societies.
I, therefore, believe that many of the reforms that Plato suggested in the Republic are
bad. Their implementation would lead to a dramatic increase in state power and state control

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over individual lives. With massive state power and meagre personal freedoms, the state that
Plato proposes is likely to emerge as a tyrannical/totalitarian state. The only good thing about
the reforms proposed by Plato is equality of men and women. The idea that men and women
should have the same educational and leadership opportunities is one that is attractive even to
modern societies.

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Works Cited

Reeve, C. D. C., ed. A Plato reader: eight essential dialogues. Hackett Publishing, 2012.