The Utopian Character of Plato’s Ideal City

Morrison, Donald

doi:10.1017/ccol0521839637.009

Cited by 12 publications

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“…Stanley Rosen (2005) calls the city of necessity subnatural or unnatural, because "human beings will not consent to maintain their lives at that level of simplicity" (p. 81). While Donald Morrison (2007) does not think there is anything in the Republic to make us think that the first city is impossible, he recognizes that luxurious desires that make a city "feverish" are assumed (p. 253). 5 Overall, it seems reasonable to view the citizens of the city of necessity as having desires that go beyond their needs, thus creating a demand that exceeds levels of necessity.…”

Section: Demand In the City Of Necessitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Why does Plato have Glaucon interrupt Socrates's discussion of the true and healthy city to shift to a discussion of a feverish one? Several scholars (Morrison 2007;Reeve 1988;Rosen 2005;Wallach 2001) contend that the citizens of the city of necessity have desires that go beyond what they need, which creates a demand for luxury, deeming the city of necessity inherently unstable. Yet focusing only on demand misses half of the equation.…”

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confidence: 99%

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THE NEED FOR GOVERNMENTAL INEFFICIENCY IN PLATO’S REPUBLIC

Hersch

2021

J Hist Econ Thought

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In Book II of Plato’s Republic, Socrates discusses the cities of necessity and luxury (372d–373a). Discussions of these cities have often focused on citizens desiring more than they need, which creates a demand for luxury. Yet the second part of the equation, which is not usually recognized, is that there must be sufficient supply to meet this demand. The focus of this article is on the importance of supply in the discussion of the first two cities in Book II of the Republic. This article argues that the way Plato models the cities makes it the case that a surplus above levels of necessity will be generated from time to time. That the unwanted surplus cannot be spontaneously disposed of entails that the first two cities are institutionally incomplete. A government is needed in order to coordinate the disposal of the surplus supply the city will produce.

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Section: Demand In the City Of Necessitymentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%