Security within a community is very crucial to its survival and growth. Without protectors, invaders, crime, desire would plague almost any city. So, how do we create protectors of a community, especially those who won't abuse the powers they will have? In The Republic by Plato, Socrates and Glaucon discuss the important of some sort of internal police force that they called guardians or auxiliaries. They first discuss that it starts at a young age (the teaching of a guardian) with the music they listen to, stories they are told, and activities they partake in. "... Then we shall do well to delete the lamentations of famous men... We do this so that those who we educate to be guardians of the city will disdain such behavior." (Plato 84) Here he shows how Homer and other playwrights have made the gods and even warriors seem lustful, deceptive, and wicked. Though I believe Aristotle is right in saying we all should have some in us, the fact Socrates is making still stands. Even in modern day America we rarely filter everything our children grow up watching and listening to. Kids are stealing, fighting, cursing, and much more t the earliest of ages and we say "oh they're just kids". I belief limiting and filtering what children are exposed to and even directing a bit of their path will help them lived more flourishing lives. The large importance of this on raising an officer is that an officer will be in charge of defending his people and having their lives in his hands. Such a person shouldn't have curiosities on what is just and unjust nor ponder whether their life has no value.
Secondly, They must have strong ideas of what justice is and believe it to be objective even though it may be subjective for the safety of their citizens. One of my personal beliefs is that they should be well trained in hand-to-hand combat and grappling so that they are comfortable with scrapping and don't have to resort to a gun to early out of fear. Also, that they should look at the community as their own family the community should feel the same of them. Socrates tackles this point in a very interesting way at the end of book 3 in The Republic. He tackles the ideas of how we can guarantee the connection between civilian and guardian will be made. As well as how we can ensure our guardians to be good and not stained by dark childhoods and upbringings." In the first place, none must posses private property, excepting only what is indispensable. Second, their habitations and storage places shall be open to all who care to enter. They will receive their food from the other citizens in quantities appropriate for warrior-athletes who are brave and temperate... They will live together and eat their meals in common. Gold and silver we shall tell them, they have already in their souls in divine measure from the gods. They have no need for human metals... This way of life will make them saviors of the state and of themselves." (Plato 115).
I commented on Hailey Riddle and Micah Powers post. (My comments are late)
The idea of a security/defense force that is universally accepted and praised by the city is reminiscent of how people would treat certain super heroes such as Superman or Wonder Woman in the Justice League animated series; they would always garner praise and attention from everyone that was in the area whenever they were out in public for any reason. On the flip side of this, I think Socrates' idea of training guardians from birth by controlling what the inputs given to them is almost like what Hitler was trying to accomplish under the Nazi regime when the education facilities started teaching a dark, twisted version of history that made the rest of the world seem evil. Instead of utopian, the idea almost sounds totalitarian!
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