All tagged Philosophy

Socrates and Censorship

Socrates is hardly the person one would conjure up when it comes to censorship. Yet in Book Two of Plato’s Republic, Socrates proposes a strikingly authoritarian education system, expurgating the works of Hesiod and Homer and allowing the youth to hear only tales that glorify the gods. He advocates for strict censorship in the education of the “guardians,” who are entrusted with the vital responsibility of safeguarding and governing the city. This approach, aimed at curbing independent thinking in favor of unquestioning acceptance, appears contradictory to Socrates' reputation as a champion of truth, raising the question of whether his education plan should be interpreted as a sincere proposal or a form of ironic critique.