Plato's Repulic, Book V

ABSTRACT: This paper discusses the viability of certain aspects (the sex lottery) of Plato's Republic, book V. It is college level 'A' paper.

Book V of The Republic finds Socrates explaining the practical details necessary in the creation of an ideal polis. He proposes a system for population control and human eugenics based on a lottery of sorts which will determine who will mate with whom and when. The lottery is "rigged" by the rulers in order that the best of the "herd" will mate much more frequently than others. However, only the rulers of this society will know the lottery is rigged. This system will presumably assure that children will be conceived as the result of reason, not irrational behaviors such as love or lust, and will produce the best possible future generations (Plato 458d Ð'- 460c).

I argue that Plato's lottery would not have worked in his time, nor would it work now because the desire to propagate was and still is a human instinct propelled by passion, not something that can simply be reasoned away. While Plato proposed that licentiousness would be forbidden and matrimony given the highest degree of sanctity (458e), I do not think that would be enough to stop a massive rise in sex crimes and passionate affairs. Instead of a just society, Plato's proposal would have created one of fear, self-doubt and lack of trust in the government and is not something I would advocate implementing. While we can never really know how this utopia would have "played out" in Plato's time, the negative effects on a society when passions are forcibly controlled can be illustrated in a modern sense by the Catholic Church and our penal system.

Plato wrote that guardians would be "drawn together by a necessity of their natures to have intercourse" (458d) and yet, their sexual interludes should be limited by the use of the lottery. It is important to point out that since reliable and accessible birth control is a recent luxury, Plato was not simply advocating for selective child birth, he was talking about abstaining from heterosexual sex unless you "won" the lottery. I don't think Plato's lottery system would have worked out as well as he envisioned. When the less desirable of the population were consistently "unlucky" and unable to propagate year after year, what would have happened to them psychologically? Given that copulation was to be an honor bestowed upon those who were brave (Plato 460b), those who did not get to participate in the festivities of marriage for long stretches of time might start to develop self-worth issues. Because children were an extremely important part of the community (Plato 464b) these "losers" might lament the fact that they were not brave enough, smart enough or attractive enough to elicit such an honor. Also, the fact that the lottery would be rigged to their detriment could lead them to believe they were eternally unlucky. Add in their knowledge that the brave, handsome and really intelligent people were (for some odd reason) always "winning" the lottery and they might become depressed or angry over their lot in life. Even the most rational people can "reason" their way into doubting themselves and their value to society.

Another ill-effect of "forced abstinence" would lead to a rise in rape, incest and secret relationships based on raw desires and/or romantic love. Passion and desire may not be reasonable, but they are human. In our current society violent sex crimes are committed all the time by people who could have sex at any time with anyone who legally consented. Imagine if sexual encounters were limited to specific times of year and then, only certain people were allowed to participate! Regard for sexual restraints would be out the window. I cannot imagine that the people in Plato's time were so very different. Those who could not control their desires would turn to sexual assault or rape to satisfy this natural instinct which would lead to people living in a state of fear and paranoia. Even those who were not prone to simply take what they needed to meet their base needs might be tempted by love or mutual attraction to break their tacit consent to the lottery. It has been my experience with human nature that passion almost always wins when placed against society and, in many cases, the law.

Alternatively, those who were "lucky" enough to win the lottery may have romantic feelings for a person who did not win. This situation could cause those involved to begin to question the wisdom of the lottery system. They may begin to wonder what kind of system would pressure