The Unified State and the Unified Mind: Social and Moral Utopia in Zamiatin's We and Plato's Republic

2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 263-288
Author(s):  
Sara Stefani
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Social Organization ◽  
Russian Society ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Ancient Source ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Ideal ◽  
The Revolution

AbstractScholars have often attempted to determine the objects of Zamiatin's satire in his dystopian novel We as well as the model on which he based the structure of his Edinoe Gosudarstvo. This article argues that in order to find the model that Zamiatin used, we should look to the exemplar of utopia itself, Plato's Republic. Plato's vision of the ideal social structure is meant to serve as an allegory for the ideal individual as well as an allegory for morality. Both the collective body and the individual mind are supremely moral, in Plato's view, when all irrational parts are subjugated to reason and rationality and marked by total unity. This article traces debates about Plato's Republic by Russian thinkers in the period just before and immediately after the Revolution, i.e., prior to the period when Zamiatin wrote We, in order to argue for the relevance of Plato in Russian society of the time. In many of these writings, Plato is identified as an ancient source of the ideals of socialism and communism. The close textual parallels between Republic and We are examined, from the broadest level of social organization to the appropriation of Plato's famous images of the Sun, the Line, and the Cave. In his novel, Zamiatin seems to question not only Plato's political vision, but his conceptions of truth, justice, and morality.

The Modification of Plan in Plato's Republic

1913 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Hackforth
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Human Soul ◽  
Ideal State ◽  
General Plan ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Argument Proceeds ◽  
The Ideal

In a recent number of the Classical Quarterly Mr. F. M. Cornford argues against the commonly accepted view, according to which the tripartite social structure of the Republic is a corollary, in Plato′s mind, to the tripartition of the individual Soul. In the present paper I propose to examine the general plan of the dialogue, in the hope of showing that Plato′s conceptions of State and Soul were not, as generally assumed and as assumed by Mr. Cornford, ready-made and clearly formulated in his mind before he began to write the Republic: that, on the contrary, we can detect profound and vital modifications of his original views as the argument proceeds: and that the conceptions of the Ideal State and the rightly constituted human soul grow out of one another and react on one another in such a way that it is impossible to give a simple answer, affirmative or negative, to the question ‘ Which is prior, the tripartition of State or the tripartition of Soul ?’

The Civil War and Its Consequences for Russian Society

2020 ◽  
pp. 20-29
Author(s):  
Andrey V. Venkov
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Social Structure ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Russian Society ◽  
Left Bank ◽  
Slave Labor ◽  
Historical Events ◽  
The Social ◽  
Economic Formation ◽  
The Revolution

Currently, the interpretation of the essence of such important historical events as the revolution of 1917 and the civil war in Russia continues. These events are also characterized as “turmoil” and “peasant war”. The author relies on the tools of the theory of socio-economic formations and analyzes the situation in the country after the civil war. The author points out that the social structure of society is extremely simplified, and this greatly affected the subsequent development of the country. The society, in its development over the next 70 years after the revolution, passed the stages resembling serfdom, the use of slave labor was repeated in the Gulag system, and finally, in the depths of the system, called socialism, capitalist relations objectively ripened. The author shows the events in the left-Bank Ukraine after the “Ruin”, as a similar situation, when society was simplified, rolled back to the level of military democracy, but then returned to the establishment of serf-dom. The author believes that the theory of socio-economic formation has been discarded by researchers, because in spite of it the society has moved from socialism to capitalism. The author believes that this is unfair, since there was no socialism in the USSR, and there was a still unqualified scientific period.

Chimeras In Time-Honored Societies

Think India ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 463-466
Author(s):  
TUMMALA. SAI MAMATA
Keyword(s):  
Major Elements ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Life Changes ◽  
Inner Self ◽  
The World ◽  
Nature And Nurture ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Superstitious Beliefs

A river flows serenely accepting all the miseries and happiness that it comes across its journey. A tree releases oxygen for human beings despite its inner plights. The sun is never tired of its duty and gives sunlight without any interruption. Why are all these elements of nature so tuned to? Education is knowledge. Knowledge comes from learning. Learning happens through experience. Familiarity is the master of life that shapes the individual. Every individual learns from nature. Nature teaches how to sustain, withdraw and advocate the prevailing situations. Some dwell into the deep realities of nature and nurture as ideal human beings. Life is a puzzle. How to solve it is a million dollar question that can never be answered so easily. The perception of life changes from individual to individual making them either physically powerful or feeble. Society is not made of only individuals. Along with individuals it has nature, emotions, spiritual powers and superstitious beliefs which bind them. Among them the most crucial and alarming is the emotions which are interrelated to others. Alone the emotional intelligence is going to guide the life of an individual. For everyone there is an inner self which makes them conscious of their deeds. The guiding force should always force the individual to choose the right path.  Writers are the powerful people who have rightly guided the society through their ingenious pen outs.  The present article is going to focus on how the major elements bound together are dominating the individual’s self through Rabindranath Tagore’s Home and the World (1916)

СОВРЕМЕННОЕ РОССИЙСКОЕ ОБЩЕСТВО КАК ПРОСТРАНСТВО КОНФЛИКТА

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
V. V. Gorshkova ◽  
A. A. Melnikova
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Social Structure ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Russian Society ◽  
Social Conflicts ◽  
The Social ◽  
Modern Russian

The article considers the contradictions and conflicts that are characteristic of modern Russian society. The processes of social disintegration are analyzed and interpreted as a result of fundamental social and economic transformations. The problems of economic inequality are presented in the historical perspective in close connection with the previous stages of Russia's socioeconomic development. Significant polarization of the population is one of the most significant conflict factors in modern society, which leads to an increase in protest moods and may in the long term threaten social upheavals. Nevertheless, dissatisfaction with the socio-economic situation does not lead to ideas of the unification and consolidation of society, but find expression in social conflicts. The emergence and development of social conflicts is influenced by a number of factors: economic, ethnic, religious. One of the most important characteristics of society is its social structure. After the collapse of the USSR, the previous social structure was abolished, and a new social reality was formed in Russia. When considering the stratification structure of society, most attention is paid to the middle class, which is considered the backbone of a stable society. The middle class in Russia is in the stage of formation, it is hardly possible to speak of a complete analogy with the middle class of Western society. The share of middle class in society can be estimated in different ways depending on the methodological approaches used by researchers. An important consequence of the transformation of the social structure was the problem of marginalization, since the dismantling of the old social structure and the slow formation of the new one put the social status and place in the division of labor system of many individuals into question. The sharp impoverishment of representatives of prestigious professions led to a reassessment of their situation, especially for the younger generation. When analyzing the origins of social conflicts in modern Russian society, it is necessary to consider the issue of the attitude of the broad masses of the population to power and national elites. It should be noted that power in Russia historically takes shape around specific leaders and does not have an institutional character. The most significant factor shaping the attitude towards the authorities and the elite in general in Russian society are the economic results of the market reforms that have taken place. Only a small part of the population believes that they won as a result of the changes that have taken place, the natural consequence of which is the population's distrust of the authorities and, in general, political institutions.

The Republic

2019 ◽  
pp. 205-229
Author(s):  
Dominic Scott
Keyword(s):  
Political Theory ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Ideal State ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Individual Justice ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Political Right ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Ideal

This chapter presents a reading of Plato’s Republic. The Republic is among Plato’s most complex works. From its title, the first-time reader will expect a dialogue about political theory, yet the work starts from the perspective of the individual, coming to focus on the question of how, if at all, justice contributes to an agent’s happiness. Only after this question has been fully set out does the work evolve into an investigation of politics—of the ideal state and of the institutions that sustain it, especially those having to do with education. But the interest in individual justice and happiness is never left behind. Rather, the work weaves in and out of the two perspectives, individual and political, right through to its conclusion. All this may leave one wondering about the unity of the work. The chapter shows that, despite the enormous range of topics discussed, the Republic fits together as a coherent whole.

Horses for War

2013 ◽  
pp. 493-511
Author(s):  
Ann Hyland
Keyword(s):  
The Sun ◽  
Severe Injuries ◽  
Endemic Diseases ◽  
The Ideal

This chapter examines the breeding and sustaining of warhorses. Horses refer to power in military and economic fields, and were sacrificed to the Sun before battle. Xenophon described the ideal warhorse. It was important for warhorses to have a good temperament. Some horses went willingly and repeatedly into battle. In war, horses would encounter camels and elephants, which were often employed in the armies of the east. Army animals could have lameness, injury, endemic diseases, and various common ailments. Puncture wounds were the most severe injuries in these animals. Tack gave the rider control over his horse and consisted firstly of bitting, secondly of saddlery. Seat security over horse could be achieved through a hard treed saddle with retentive front and rear horns. It is observed that some cavalry were armored, both men and horses.

Embodying the culture of achievement: Culture between illness and perfection is a ‘thin line’ – obtaining the ideal female body as an act of achievement

2021 ◽  
pp. 1354067X2110040
Author(s):  
Josefine Dilling ◽  
Anders Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Female Body ◽  
The Body ◽  
Thin Line ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
The Ideal ◽  
Body Ideals

In this article, we argue that certain behaviour connected to the attempt to attain contemporary female body ideals in Denmark can be understood as an act of achievement and, thus, as an embodiment of the culture of achievement, as it is characterised in Præstationssamfundet, written by the Danish sociologist Anders Petersen (2016) Hans Reitzels Forlag . Arguing from cultural psychological and sociological standpoints, this article examines how the human body functions as a mediational tool in different ways from which the individual communicates both moral and aesthetic sociocultural ideals and values. Complex processes of embodiment, we argue, can be described with different levels of internalisation, externalisation and materialisation, where the body functions as a central mediator. Analysing the findings from a qualitative experimental study on contemporary body ideals carried out by the Danish psychologists Josefine Dilling and Maja Trillingsgaard, this article seeks to anchor such theoretical claims in central empirical findings. The main conclusions from the study are used to structure the article and build arguments on how expectations and ideals expressed in an achievement society become embodied.

scholarly journals Correlation analysis of resected breast tissue and implant volume after mastectomy and its association with breast density

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfram Malter ◽  
Bo Jan Bachmann ◽  
Barbara Krug ◽  
Martin Hellmich ◽  
Max Zinser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Breast Density ◽  
Breast Tissue ◽  
Mathematical Function ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Tissue Weight ◽  
Implant Selection ◽  
Volume Measurements ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Ideal

Abstract Background The current methods for calculating the ideal implant volume for breast reconstruction are based on pre- or intraoperative volume measurements of the existing breast volume and do not take into account the individual breast density of the woman. This study aims is to identify objective parameters that can help to improve the optimal implant selection. Materials and methods This retrospective analysis includes 198 breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomy. Breast densities (ACR) measured in mammography and MRI were compared with the removed breast tissue weight and volume of the implants used. In addition, the resected weight was compared directly with the implant volume to calculate a mathematical function. Results There was no significant correlation between the ACR values and the resected weights [correlation coefficient: mammography:− 0.117 (p = 0.176), MRI − 0.033 (p = 0.756)]. A negative correlation between the implant volumes and both imaging methods could be demonstrated [correlation coefficient: mammography − 0.268; p = 0.002; MRI was − 0.200 (p = 0.055)]. A highly significant correlation between the resected weights and the implant volumes (correlation coefficient 0.744; p < 0.001) was observed. This correlation corresponds to a power function (y = 34.71 x0.39), in which any resected weight can be used for the variable x to calculate the implant volume. Conclusion We were able to show that there is a significant correlation between the resected breast tissue and the implant volume. With our novel potency function, the appropriate implant volume can be calculated for any resected weight making it easier for the surgeon to choose a fitting implant in a simple and more objective manner.

No Retreat, No Surrender: The Temporal Dimension of Psychic and Social Conflicts / Ni Retirarse Ni Rendirse: La Dimensión Temporal de los Conflictos Psíquicos y Sociales

FORUM ◽  
2011 ◽  
pp. 37-50
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Fiorentini ◽  
Giovanni Foresti
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Social Conflicts ◽  
Chronological Order ◽  
Temporal Dimension ◽  
Psychic Development ◽  
Experience Of Time ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Psychic Functioning

The authors suggest that there is a correlation between the current prevailing experience of time and some disorders in psychic functioning both at the level of the individual and in society. The disruption to the chronological order of psychic development is seen as a consequence of the immense cultural upheavals that took place during the 1970s and '80s. In turn, these changes are viewed as a consequence of more discreet modifications that impact on both family relationships and social structure.Los autores sugieren que existe una correlación entre la experiencia presente predominante del tiempo y algunos trastornos del funcionamiento psíquico tanto a nivel individual como social. La alteración del orden cronológico del desarrollo psíquico se considera como consecuencia de los terribles trastornos culturales que tuvieron lugar durante los ańos 70 y 80. A su vez, estos cambios se consideran como consecuencia de modificaciones más discretas que impactan tanto a las relaciones familiares como a la estructura social.

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