The Importance of Education

A dominant theme of "The Republic" is the necessity of educating the soldiers and rulers of the city well. As much of the education of very young children takes place through the reading and telling of stories, Socrates suggests that the poems they read be heavily censored to ensure that their content is in line with the truth. For example, any stories portraying the gods acting immorally should be banned, as the gods should be given as models of virtue. Likewise, virtuous men should never be portrayed as being subject to too much sorrow or weeping, since these are not qualities that soldiers should want to imitate. The effect of music on the soul is also considered very profound and, likewise, should be heavily monitored. Physical training is important to counteract the "feminizing" effects of too much study.

The curriculum for the philosopher is laid...