The US Merchant Marine Service Academy is run under a strict regimental system aligning to US Coast Guard standards. This society that is created by the Midshipmen Regulations supports Plato’s envisioned ideal of a harmonic social order more closely than Robert A. Dahl’s view of democracy. The organization is characterized by a class rank system based on experience and seniority, with those of a higher class rank getting more responsibility and rewards bestowed upon them. The relation between Kings Point and Plato’s idealized society is that both are governed by a philosopher-king. The regulations have been in use since the founding of the school, and have governed the lives of midshipmen since then. These rules are used as the moral backbone …show more content…
The regiment is quite different to democracy due to the removal of midshipmen rights and the formation of social classes. The regimental society of Kings Point is divided into classes numbered one through four. The structure of this society is a class rank based on seniority, and with a higher class rank comes more duty and freedoms. All of different classes have differing rights for actions available to them on and off campus, and punishments for disregarding authority and breaking rules. These classes and rules help create future officers of moral character and …show more content…
The standards set by rules of King’s Point emphasize self-improvement and responsibility for one’s bearing and behavior. Principles such as “Plebe Candidates will display proper military bearing at all times,” (Standards) and “Plebe Candidates will NOT consume alcohol at any time, regardless if they are over the legal age (21),” (Standards; bold in original) help establish restraint. This standard of morality and discipline prepares midshipmen for their future obligation in the military or maritime service. The training that the midshipmen undergo at Kings Point makes them disciplined enough to focus on productive actions, such as devoting time to studding, that will further their education and qualifications for graduation. Plato notes that “‘unnecessary’ would be the right name for all appetites in which can be got rid of by early training and do us now good and in some cases harm” and “he turns again to those lotus eaters [without ambition] and throws in his lot with them openly” (Jacobus 60-61). This view of Plato’s is mirrored in the regulations’ focus on eliminating distraction and shape self-control to prevent distractions and the onset of moral
Accountability is a subject that ranges through every spectrum of life. From simply knowing your food supply by opening the refrigerator, to knowing the exact amount of ammunition a military convoy has at its disposal, down to each individual round. When we know what the situation is, and hold each person responsible for they're actions in the situation, that is the concept of accountability at its root. If we are not to hold each other responsible for each of our own actions and choices then we will never be able to correct problems and concerns, which will make us fail as a whole because the smallest individual action can account for the gravest of concequences. In this essay I'm going to show how important accountability is in the everyday life of a United States Marine. I will do this by presenting the textbook definition of accountability then dissecting it and defining it in my own words. I will then show you how the military practices accountability with everything it does; by applying a system that is similiar to that of checks and balances. I will tie into this the Incident that occurd in 29 Palms, CA on August 31, 1988, where the failure to have accountability of all the marines on Base ultimately resulted in the negligent death of one Marine, and the ruined careers of those who were in charge of him. Lastly I will go down to the basic level of the Marine Corps: the life of the individual Marine and how he can, and naturally does to a point, apply accountability to his every action, be it on or off duty.
As in other areas of “The Republic,” Plato carefully outlines the delineations which form the basis for the types of rulers to be installed in the state. “Rulers” (legislative and udicial), “Auxiliaries” (executive), and “Craftsmen” (productive and fficacious) are the titles of the categories and are based, not on birth or wealth, but on natural capacities and aspirations. Plato was convinced that children born into any class should still be moved up or down based on their merits regardless of their connections or heritage. He believes the citizens of the State will support and benefit from such a system and presents the idea in the form of an allegorical myth.
The basic ideas the council rulers appeal to in order to retain power consist of limiting the people of their world below them to having nothing of their own, such as a house, friends, let alone their own name (which is replaced with a sequence of words and numbers to identify an individual). Some of the beliefs of the council are very similar to the ones in Plato’s Republic. For instance, Plato states that “Philosophers form the only class of men to possess knowledge and are also the most just of men (Plato’s Republic 2). In other words, what Plato is essentially saying is that the only the highest class (in Anthem’s case, the council) is worthy to obtain any additional knowledge past basic grade school education. This is extremely demeaning due to the fact that this society is said to revolve around equality, when overall, it is just a massive dictatorship ruled by the so called “elite”
It can be argued that MIDREGs promotes moral behavior, but it is also easy to offer a rebuttal saying that it demoralizes midshipmen. I believe that it falls somewhere in the middle. In the beginning, MIDREGs can promote moral behavior by giving an outline of what is right and what behaviors are considered upstanding. For a plebe especially, reading MIDREGs allows us to understand how to behave. Many of us come from being civilians and would not know exactly the standards we are now to uphold without them being explicitly stated in MIDREGs; however, past the initial reading, I think it starts to make people think “How much can I do without getting in trouble?” There are, of course, some rules and guidelines in MIDREGs that are rules that
The Republic is Plato’s notion of an ideal state. Within the state, there is a hierarchal class system, which provides stability among the classes. Stability is achieved when each class performs their own duties and jobs, and does not interfere with the business of others. There are three hierarchal classes, the guardians and philosopher-kings, the auxiliaries, and the working class. With an increase in the power of the auxiliary class, a system was needed that would control the morals of the guardian class. The guardians are trained up through a strict curriculum which consists of music and gymnastics. Music is used to educate the soul, and gymnastics is used to train the body. They act on behalf of the good of the whole state, because through their education and their pursuit of knowledge, they have the moral capacity to seek “the good”.(505a)
The second characteristic of professionalism is responsibility. General responsibility creates the moral responsibility of marines and helps us understand the set of values which guide us. In addition, however, marines must also possess the values of other human beings and question service to a society which does not respect these values. These values include justice, common courtesy, human dignity and humbleness. A government which does not respect these values is illegitimate and cannot be said to serve the society it directs. In the case of United States marines, the values of the United States must be examined in the context of the military profession. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution provide clear statements of these values and Ethics. Ethics are standards by which one should act based on values. Values are core beliefs such as honor, courage, and commitment that motivate attitudes and actions. Not all values...
One of the versions of governing is an oligarchy, a small group of people in control of a country. In book eight of the republic Plato explains the meaning of an oligarchy and when it is very unsuccessful. It doesn't work because whoever has the most wealth can take part in ruling over the city. Plato even explains "when virtue and riches are placed together in the scales of the balance, the one always rises as the other falls...
Elitism is basically the belief that the rulers (elites) are see as more superior than the producers. When asked about how the kids should be raised, Plato describes his subclass of children, Which actually stems the argument between her and Plato. Plato’s subclass of children are the ones Munitz presumes as the elite. If one was to refer back to the book “Republic,” Socrates ideal city is where the rulers are allowed to tell lies as long as they see it fit as what is best for the people. When Plato mentions the zero-sum conflicts, which is a mathematical representation in a situation where someone’s loss is balanced by the losses or gains of some other. Munitz states that Plato’’s social setup is about zero sum, because all privileges are directed towards one group alone. In the book Munitiz states, “You lay out a program of enrichment for only your ruling class-your master race. as it were-as if the others. the merely average, do not concern you. since they are incapable of of achieving the life of the mind you hold up as the highest ideal” (Goldstein
and Drill Instructors see Boot Camp. Why did he pick the Marines as his topic? Attracted to the Corps perception and morale, Thomas E. Ricks expresses the Marines as the only service still upholding its honor and tradition. Due to society changing into a commercial society with a “me” attitude, civilians focus on how they can splendor themselves with material items—never looking at the big picture at all that we can accomplish as a team if we give our heart and soul to life. Team means everyone on earth, for we are the people that provide for one another with peace and prosperity.
The rational part of the ruler is wise and therefore it should rule over the other parts of the mind. Socrates questions, “…isn’t it appropriate for the rational part to rule, since it is really wise and exercises foresight on behalf of the whole soul…(Plato 98).” In th...
Abrashoff begins the book by informing the reader of how his story begins; when he is given command of the USS Benfold. The Benfold was the Navy’s most advanced guided missile destroyer the Navy had in 1997 and its command was to be one of the Navy’s top innovators. Unfortunately, Abrashoff points out some flaws with the Navy’s personnel management that I found to be shocking. First, was that “nearly 35 percent of the people who joined the military annually, wouldn’t complete their enlistment contracts.” (p.2) Such turnover can be understood by many business managers in the service industry, but unlike the quick and cheap training process for them, the cost for the military (taxpayers) is astounding. Abrashoff estimates that it cost roughly “$35,000 to recruit a trainee and tens of thousands more in additional training costs to get new personnel to the basic level of proficiency.” (p.2) Curbing this trend on his own ship and eventually helping to achieve a decrease overall in the mil...
Plato goes into detail about what is known as the five regimes. The five regimes can apply to both individuals and societies. The regimes go from orderliness to chaos in this order: aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny. On an individual level, a tyrant is someone who essentially grants themselves complete freedom to chase pleasure in abundance, no matter what measures they take to achieve it. This could be a pursuit of money, sex, power, or any other earthly possession that may fill the hole in a man’s heart. And though tyranny can function on a state level, “the nature of pleasure and the principle of tyranny are further analyzed in the individual man” (Plato, location 80). On the other hand, an aristocratic individual is a philosopher, someone with extensive knowledge and selflessness. They are in full control of their desires and they question everything. Aristocrats realize that money, power, and fame are just shadows of the Good, and in order to find true happiness, one must look internally, rather than externally. They know that those ungodly wants just cover up for what they are truly searching for. These individuals with these traits can translate into societies with the same traits, an aristocracy being a society run by a philosopher. An
While she did identify the two as being present in the city, in one’s opinion that does not condemn the city for being unjust. For the use of paternalism and elitism does not possess injustice in Plato’s city. Some questions that can be brought up from this paper, is even though paternalism and elitism can be considered good and just, can it actually be the opposites in that case, and can it happen in the city Plato and Socrates have conjured up? What specific actions can be possessed if the city was to be deemed unjust because the paternalistic and elitist
Over the summer, I spent a week at the United States Naval Academy participating in the Summer Seminar program. Created to replicate life as an actual plebe, the Summer Seminar gives an opportunity for rising seniors to experience the Academy for themselves as they hope to attend the school. Visiting the campus for the first time, I finally witnessed the historical implications of the campus for myself. While walking through the hallways of history, I gazed upon the diverse landscape of the rural Annapolis area. Situated at the confluence of the Chesapeake Bay and the Severn River, USNA lies on a flat area suited for training. Individuals use many different hills and walking trails. Both the military and the moral aspect of the school separates the Academy from other rigorous schools. This principle of moral and military respect derives from the mission of the Naval Academy. According to the Naval Academy mission , “To develop Midshipmen morally, mentally and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government." USNA commissions future Naval
"The core of a soldier is moral discipline. It is intertwined with the discipline of physical and mental achievement. Total discipline overcomes adversity, and physical stamina draws on an inner strength that says drive on." - Former Sergeant Major of the Army William G. Bainbridge