The concept of “crisis” describes a situation that we cannot resolve with our usual means and is therefore deeply connected to the concept of change: in order to overcome it, we need to change our behavior. To be more precise, we need to know how to utilize the occurrence of a crisis in order to stimulate the emergence of something else; otherwise, dealing with a crisis can be difficult. When it comes to a civilization, an unresolved crisis is referred to as the Middle Ages, which is a dark period marked by the absence of the foundations of human culture: rights, science, art, etc.
Multiple crises
We live in a time of multiple crises. At least four major crises affect us on a global level:
– Social and human crisis: over a billion people suffer from hunger in the world, which means one out of every six human beings.
– Ecological crisis: global warming could cause significant disruptions in the short and medium term, such as problems with water, agriculture, rising sea levels, and the depletion of drinking water reserves in polar regions, and – td.
• Resource crisis: we are running out of non-renewable resources such as oil and various minerals.
• Financial and economic crisis: one crisis has led to another and threatens to collapse Western economic systems. This is the crisis that affects us the most in the short term, but not necessarily the most severe.
All these crises confront us with the necessity of changing our behavior and together they form a set of indicators that point to the illness of the system.
Thinker Plato in crisis
Plato (428-347 BC) was an aristocrat who had the potential for a successful political career. He was born when Pericles died, at the end of Greece and Athens’ most glorious century. After Pericles’ death, Athens was plagued with great political instability associated with demagoguery, corruption, and immorality, leading to the condemnation of Socrates to death, the condemnation of the teacher who had instilled in him the love for wisdom. Plato, who was then twenty-eight years old, decided to dedicate his life and work to bringing Athens out of the crisis. which it is suffocating. This will not succeed because it requires changes that the Athenians, especially their leaders, are not willing to accept. However, his advice will be considered wise and correct by the people of his time as well as future generations. His thoughts are preserved in numerous dialogues, especially in The Republic, The Statesman, and The Laws, the last dialogue he wrote.
Cycles and crises
Plato presents a historical view of crises (The Laws), discussing the cyclical nature of history by mentioning cities that have alternated between glory and decadence. However, he also warns of deeper crises that lead to major upheavals: the disappearance of civilizations, natural disasters… (Timaeus, Critias)
Therefore, Plato portrays crisis as a natural part of history. There are more or less serious crises, while some of them question the very survival of civilization. That is why it is important to predict them and consider the mechanisms that create them.
The dynamics of crises
In The Republic, Plato elaborates on the dynamics of crises. He explains that societies lose their balance because of excessive wealth and power, leading to corruption and decay. He argues that the state should be ruled by philosopher-kings who possess wisdom and knowledge, rather than by politicians driven by their own interests. This is the only way to prevent the decline of civilization and ensure its prosperity.
until the search for justice and its application to everyone veer away from the principles on which they are founded. Plato recognizes multiple causes of imbalance, but he deems the pursuit of wealth to be fatal.
Plato argues that in an egalitarian society, the desire for acquisition becomes pervasive, infiltrating every aspect of life without limitations. The dynamics of the social sphere become boundless, and all jobs, interests, and values are equalized. There is no longer any hierarchy or distinction among people, and everything is valued equally. No one is considered superior to others, promoting equality as the fundamental principle.
However, Plato warns that this can lead to apathy and a lack of motivation for progress. People will be content with what they have and will not strive to create or achieve more. Freedom will be expressed in terms of the choice to do what one pleases, but it will also result in reduced responsibility towards others. This will create a society that is unaware of the consequences of its actions. Plato is therefore skeptical of this model, which he labels as a “lotus-eater society,” where people live in constant forgetfulness of the past and are solely focused on the present moment.
In an egalitarian society, as described by Plato in “The Republic,” everything becomes of equal value, with no distinctions or hierarchies. Sons are equal to fathers, one law is as valid as another, one desire is as significant as any other, listening is seen as commanding, and engaging in war is considered the same as living in peace. Orientation is lost, and the essential is confused with the trivial. All differences and hierarchies are eliminated, and nothing holds particular importance anymore. Money holds the same value as human life, moral values, and everything becomes commodified and interchangeable.
Loss of measure
In such a society, everyone is naturally free, and freedom is by definition without limitations. Refraining is considered an attack on freedom. Moreover, people are driven by an unlimited desire to increase and perpetuate their personal freedom and wealth. Plato says that such a society loses all sense of measure. He condemns excessive differences between the rich and the poor, invaluable wealth, etc. He suggests limiting the difference in wealth (Laws) so that the wealthiest cannot earn more than five times what the poorest earns, otherwise they could be asked to contribute to the welfare of the community. Neglecting or abandoning the excess… However, first and foremost, the question of the distribution of shared property arises. This issue becomes insoluble when necessary needs are replaced by an unlimited desire for acquisition. Society loses balance when we start hoarding unnecessary wealth instead of limiting ourselves to what we need. This can also happen with natural resources, which then become insufficient for the community.
Individualism and massification
In this new society, the unity of the people is replaced by atomization. On one hand, everyone wants to satisfy their own desires, which leads to individualism, and on the other hand, in an egalitarian society, economic activity strives to make people competitive, that is, to separate them from each other and erase all social connections. Such greedy societies are factors of separation, causing the disintegration of all connections and resulting in the loss of the concept of the common good, principles of connectivity, and solidarity. This lack of solidarity prevails among people, as well as in relation to the Universe and nature. Plato speaks about it. e razmišljanja, jasno je da je potrebno izići iz trenutne krize i preokrenuti trend ka oklokraciji. Da bismo to postigli, moramo se vratiti istinskim vrijednostima i obnoviti značaj općeg dobra u društvu. Također je važno uložiti napore u obrazovanje i osvijestiti ljude o važnosti Istine i promicanju obrazovanja. Samo kroz ove mjere možemo izgraditi društvo koje poštuje individualnost i slobodu, ali istovremeno prepoznaje da su istina i opće dobro temelj na kojem treba graditi naše odluke i postupke. Yeah, Plato believes that reforms are impossible and unnecessary (Laws). He recommends questioning the very foundations of society. Therefore, he emphasizes the importance of daring to break conformities, that is, having the courage to introduce something new, the courage to reestablish the foundations. The question he poses is how to make people accept higher and universal principles, the common good? He tries to define ideal social norms. The central ideas he emphasizes are justice and peace, and the key is a moral revolution.
The solution to the crisis – the individual
For Plato, the crisis is primarily human and moral. It is the individual who makes society. If the individual changes, society changes. However, society must also be organized according to certain rules. First, it is necessary to renew the hierarchy of values: to separate the important from the secondary, the essential from the transient; to find fundamental principles that ensure justice and peace for human communities, harmonious relationships among them and in their environment. Plato explains that personal freedom leads to excess if it is not balanced with moral responsibility. General welfare is directed towards a good that transcends the individual and their interests. The common good must be stronger than the desires, passions, and peculiarities of individuals or social groups.
Learning moderation
Unity of the city
However, for Plato, the most important thing is the unity of the city, i.e., solidarity and friendship among fellow citizens and with nature (the cosmos). He wants humans to feel their responsibility within the great cosmic community. He explains the importance of order and proper functioning of the place where people live in order to preserve everyone’s freedom (without coercion, without one side dominating the other, without s Courage is an essential quality for a just society. Plato teaches in several dialogues that the human soul possesses what he calls thymos, which gives people the ability to indignantly react to injustice and the fear of losing their lives. This courageous zeal can stimulate the desire for survival and mobilization, which can in turn save the community. Therefore, it is important to properly channel this zeal by developing the higher part of a person through learning and applying philosophy. The goal is to convince people to believe in their interconnectedness, even though everything seems to be against it, by reminding them that they are inherently connected through their souls, because unity and friendship will not prevail through decree, but rather because people recognize themselves as members of the same species.