Justice in Platos The Republic Essay -- Philosophy Religion Essays

Justice in Platos Republic In Platos The Republic, he unravels the definition of nicety. Plato believed that a territoryr could not be wholly just unless one was in a society that was also just. Plato did not believe in democracy, because it was democracy that killed Socrates, his honey teacher who was a just man and a philosopher. He believed in Guardians, or philosophers/ patterns that ruled the state. One must examine what it means for a state to be just and what it means for a person to be just to truly understand the meaning of justice. According to Socrates, if we first attempt to observe justice in some large thing that find it, this would make it easier to observe in a single individual. We agreed that this larger thing is a city(Plato 96). It is evident, therefore, that the state and the ruler described in The Republic by Plato are clearly parallel to one another. there are three classes in the state and three maps of the chief in the ruler. The three classes of the state are the rulers, the soldiers, and the craftsmen. The three parts of the question are the rational or reason part, the irrational appetitive part, and the naughty part. The rational corresponds to the rulers, the appetitive corresponds to the craftsmen, and the spirited corresponds to the soldiers. Socrates then explains how the four virtues, wisdom, courage, moderation/self-control, and justice play the same roles in a person as in a state. The rational part of the ruler is wise and therefore it should rule over the other parts of the mind. Socrates questions, isnt it appropriate for the rational part to rule, since it is really wise and exercises foresight on behalf of the whole nous(Plato 98). In th... ...l war between the three parts, a meddling and doing of anothers work, a rebellion by some part against the whole soul in order to rule it inappropriately (Plato 100). Platos sample ruler must have a good mind, always be truthful, have knowledge and discipline , and not be afraid of death. In short, the ruler is a philosopher that satisfies the four virtues of wisdom, courage, moderation/self-control, and justice. Plato, nonetheless neglects the fact that everyone sins and fails to mention it in the ideal state or ruler. However, the state and ruler was made up primarily to better understand the meaning of justice and was not made up so that it might be practiced. Works Cited Marra, James L., Zelnick, Stephen C., and Mattson, Mark T. IH 51 Source Book Plato, The Republic, pp. 77-106. Kendall/HuntPublishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa, 1998.