g possibilities, Aristotle questions if Plato was right in the Republic toassert that "children, women, and property should be communal" in society (1261a6-7), or is having too much unity (sharing) a bad thing.In the Republic, Socrates explains to Adeimantus the importance of having a communist-like society where everything is shared by thecommunity. He states that "If a sound education has made [our children] into reasonable men, they will easily see their way through all thesemattes, as well as others which we will pass over for the moment, such as the possession of wives, marriage, and child-bearing, and theprinciple that here we should follow, as far as possible, the proverb which says that friends have all things in common" (423e-424a).Aristotle cannot simply dismiss the possibility of sharing everything, because it can, in theory, take place in a community. All members of acommunity, if they so desired, could raise and educate their children together, and share all of their wives amongst their friends and neighbors.However, Aristotle would like to prove that although it is possible to bring up children in a communal setting, it would undermine that citys unity,rather than support it. It is important to note that Socrates says that the principle of sharing children should, as far as possible, be followed. Inorder for Aristotles to make his argument, it must be assumed that Plato means that once a child is born, he is given over to the community, andtherefore, does not know who his parents are, and his parents do not know who their child is.Aristotles first argument centers on the statement that what is common and shared, by nature, is given the least amount of care and attention.When a large number of people share something in common, they tend to neglect that something. "What is common to the most people gets theleast care since they are concerned more of all with their own things, but less with common things" (1261b33-35). Aristo...
