THE THOUGHTS OF PLATO

By Professor Dr. Tan Man-Ho (Chen Wanhe)

(An excerpt from the original work, Real World Views, Book 3, by Professor Dr. Tan Man-Ho entitled, "The General Laws of Nature, Real Historical Process and Early Christianity - The Symbolic Mushroom and the Cross," November 1974 ~ September 1975 Discourses, Chapter 5, Section F : "The Thoughts of Plato," pp. 113~117)

F.   THE THOUGHTS OF PLATO

Some quotations from Plato's 'Republic I-X' - A glimpse of the seed of Arian Communism from the Athenian Philosopher of Ancient Greece regarding and confining only to and for the ruling class, within its state framework and ideal ruling principles of that same framework and for that time period in the context of the last decan of the Astrological Age of Aries and beginning Age of Pisces.  Plato was born in May 21, 429 BC.  Note also that there is a Geminian (Primitive) Communism in the Age of Gemini, a Taurian Communism in the Age of Taurus and one Piscean Religio-Communism /Socialism in the Age of Pisces and one more Aquarian Communism in the future in the Age of Aquarius, and a Capricornian Communism in the Age of Capricorn, and so on and so forth depending on the Dasein in the Ages!

1   As to the ancient great men who were too hard in their crystallization that they were not willing to conceal the truths, they suffer tremendously under the hands of their own adversaries.  They are unable to become flexible to their principles and beliefs ….. so they were destroyed.

2   In The Republic VII, p.398 Plato wrote: “Dialectics, then, as you will agree, is the coping-stone of the sciences and is set over them; no other science can be placed higher – the nature of knowledge can no further go.  I agree.”

3   “Nor would you praise the behaviour of States which act like the men whom I was just now describing. For are there not ill-ordered States in which the citizens are forbidden under pain of death to alter the constitution; and yet he who most sweetly courts those who live under this regime and indulges them and fawns upon them and is skillful in anticipating and gratifying their humorous is held to be a great and good Statesman ‑ do-not these States resemble the persons whom I was describing?’ (Plato, The Republic IV, p.345)

4   Then dialectic and dialectic alone, goes directly to the first principle and is the only science, which does away with hypotheses.’ (Ibid p.397)

5   Until philosophers are kings, or the kings and princes of this world have the spirit and power of philosophy, and political greatness and wisdom meet in one, and those commoner natures who pursue either to the exclusion of the other are compelled to stand aside, cities will never have rest from their evils – no, nor the human race, as I believe – and then only will our State have a possibility of life and behold the light of day.’ (Plato, The Republic V, p.369)

6   For the young person cannot judge what is allegorical and what is literal; anything that he receives into his mind at that age is likely to become indelible and unalterable; and therefore it is most important that the tales which the young first hear should be models of virtuous thoughts’ (Ibid, p.321)

7   For laws are the good for human life, and many are the evils’ (Ibid, p.320)

8   Now the worst part if the punishment is that he who refuses to rule is liable to be ruled by one who is worse than himself’. (Plato, The Republic I, Encyclopedia Britannica, p.306)

9   You know also that the beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of a young and tender thing, for that is the tome at which the character is being formed and the desired impression is more really taken.’ (Ibid, p.321, On Education)

10   And they are quite ready to call wicked man happy, and to honor them both in public and in private when they are rich or in any other way influential.’ (Plato, The Republic I, Encyclopedia Britannica, p.313)

11   Plato’s sensitivity and negativity to the manifestations of the intellectual part of the moving center in the form of imitation can be noticed from his writings:

‘……. but they should not depict or be skillful at imitating any kind of illiberality or baseness lest from imitation they should come to be what they imitate.  Did you never observe how imitations, beginning in early youth and continuing far into life, at length grow into habits and become a second nature, affecting body, voice, and mind.’

‘Neither should they be trained to imitate the action or speech of men or women who are mad or bad; for madness, like vice, is to be known but not to be practised or imitated.’

‘That they must obtain from intoxication has been already remarked by us; for of all persons a guardian should be the last to get drunk and not know where in the world he is.’ (Ibid, p.334)

‘Nor may they imitate the neighing of horses, the bellowing of bulls, the murmur of rivers and roll of the ocean, thunder, and all that sort of thing?’

‘But there is another sort of character who will narrate anything, and the worst he is, the more unscrupulous he will be; nothing will be too bad for him, and he will be ready to imitate anything, not as a joke, but in right good earnest, and before a large company.  As I was just now saying, he will attempt to represent the roll of thunder, the noise of wind and hail, or the creaking of wheels and pulleys, and the various sounds of flutes, pipes, trumpets and all sorts of instruments; he will bark like a dog, bleat like a sheep, or crow like a cock; his entire art will consist of imitation of voice and gestures and then will be very little narration.’ (Ibid p.330)

‘And may we not say confidently of man also, that he who is likely to be gentle to his friends and acquaintances, must by nature be a lover of wisdom and knowledge.’ (Plato, The Republic II, Encyclopedia Britannica, p.320)

‘But when intemperance and disease multiply in a State, halls of justice and medicine are always being opened; and the arts of the doctor and the lawyer give themselves airs…’(Ibid, p.335)

‘There complexity engendered license, and here disease; whereas simplicity in music was parent of temperance in the soul; and simplicity in gymnastic of health in the body.’ (Ibid)

‘ ...if the consists only in women bearing and men begetting children, this does not amount to a proof that a woman differs from men in respect of the sort of education she should receive; and we shall therefore continue to maintain that our guardians [and] their wives ought to have the same pursuits.  The wives of our guardians, then, must strip for exercise, since they will be clothed with virtue and they must take their share in war and in other social duties of guardianship.  They are to have no other occupation, and in these duties, the lighter part must fall on the women because of the weakness of their sex ....... So far then in regulating the positions of women, we may claim to have come safely through one hazardous proposition that male and female guardians shall have all occupations in common.  The  consistency of the argument is an assurance that the plan is good and also feasible’.

Old manuscripts

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