Plato and Immigration
Plato Module
Today, we live in a world that has come a long way and is in a constant state of evolution. Every day, our nation leaders are constantly battling to come up with or refine policies and regulations that will, they hope, improve or sustain our current lifestyle. While the amount of polices is vast, the one in particular that I will be focusing on will be immigration, more specifically, the immigration policy that allows for case-by-case decision making in regards to immigrant deportation. I chose this case because it seems highly controversial and raises many questions, considering there are so many “gray areas” to take into account, as is the case with many policies. What I set out to explore in more detail is in regards to illegal immigrants who get to stay and are apart of the U.S. workforce, but consequently take away jobs from America citizens.
If Plato were alive today, he would be probably be disappointed with how society has turned out, but not surprised. Our democratic government is something Plato has seen in his lifetime and is not fond of it. He has seen the unstable manner of democracy, and knows that it lacks leaders with proper skills and morals. Leaders, according to Plato, must be groomed from birth. They must be molded and shaped from young children through intense training and education to become “expert” rulers. In essence, they must “know” the “forms of good.” It is only these individuals who have reached this prestigious level of expertise that would be qualified to make judgment and decisions.
How Plato, or a Platonist, would approach this issue of immigration is something that must be looked at far deeper than the surface level. Since experts, those who know the good, are the only ones who should be allowed to make decisions, Plato would say to consult them on the matter. However, finding an expert in immigration can prove troublesome. If finding an expert on immigration were not possible, Plato would advise to look
Today, we live in a world that has come a long way and is in a constant state of evolution. Every day, our nation leaders are constantly battling to come up with or refine policies and regulations that will, they hope, improve or sustain our current lifestyle. While the amount of polices is vast, the one in particular that I will be focusing on will be immigration, more specifically, the immigration policy that allows for case-by-case decision making in regards to immigrant deportation. I chose this case because it seems highly controversial and raises many questions, considering there are so many “gray areas” to take into account, as is the case with many policies. What I set out to explore in more detail is in regards to illegal immigrants who get to stay and are apart of the U.S. workforce, but consequently take away jobs from America citizens.
If Plato were alive today, he would be probably be disappointed with how society has turned out, but not surprised. Our democratic government is something Plato has seen in his lifetime and is not fond of it. He has seen the unstable manner of democracy, and knows that it lacks leaders with proper skills and morals. Leaders, according to Plato, must be groomed from birth. They must be molded and shaped from young children through intense training and education to become “expert” rulers. In essence, they must “know” the “forms of good.” It is only these individuals who have reached this prestigious level of expertise that would be qualified to make judgment and decisions.
How Plato, or a Platonist, would approach this issue of immigration is something that must be looked at far deeper than the surface level. Since experts, those who know the good, are the only ones who should be allowed to make decisions, Plato would say to consult them on the matter. However, finding an expert in immigration can prove troublesome. If finding an expert on immigration were not possible, Plato would advise to look
Cited: Ferrari, G.R. F., ed. Plato: The Republic. Trans. Tom Griffith. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2009. Print.