Censor Me Not

Censor Me Not

Censor Me Not
Socrates and Adeimantus discuss in great detail the stories that should and should not be told to the children in their figurative society. According to these men, censorship is a necessity if one is to raise a just man in any society.   One must not be brought up hearing heinous stories which will alter the perception of what is “good” or “just” behavior.   Children are young and impressionable, if we bombard them with gruesome tales or tales of unjust deeds going unpunished it will certainly lure them to do wrong.
“…They are not to be told that if they committed the most horrible crimes they [would not] be doing anything out of the ordinary…we [will not] tell them they would merely be acting like the first and greatest of the gods.”   What Socrates means is simple. If we raise the children in society to hear stories of destruction, crime, and god on god war they will see it completely normal to sometimes partake in similar acts. For example, if a child grows up hearing stories of how men (or gods) become angry and smite their enemy, they would think it the natural reaction. When they become angry will be a natural inclination to inflict pain on the one who angered them.
Socrates and Adeimantus agree that if we are to raise children to believe that fighting and “unjust” behavior is wrong, we must submerge them in literature that reflects peace and harmony. We should show them the examples of men helping other men. We must tell tales of the greatest generosity of the gods. We must censor the stories that reflect violence, evil, and anger. Moreover, we must lead by example for our children. If we are to teach them that no man quarrels with his neighbor, then we must live peacefully with our neighbor. To teach our children that no unjust act shall be committed then we must live a perfectly just life.
While it all sounds good, it is unreasonable and unrealistic to completely censor all evil or unjust facts of life from our...