Plato

The focus of Socrates at this time in Plato's Republic is of the ideal city and how it can be traced to the human soul. Socrates believes that the city he has proposed to the other men is perfect in itself. He says that this city possesses four virtues which are the base for the city being perfect. These are the virtues of wisdom, courage, moderation and lastly but most importantly is the virtue of justice. He breaks down the city into classes and he says how each man within the city is responsible for what his life work is. He says that the people of the city whom the mass will see as most educated will be most fit for rule. "You remember the original principle which we were always laying down at the foundation of the State, that one man should practise one thing only, the thing to which his nature was best adapted; now justice is this principle or a part of it."(433a) It is here that each man concentrates on his own possessions and his own business where we find a just city. He explains that being able to compare social classes within the city is very important because it has produced the important virtue of justice. With Socrates being able to do this he now has to establish a proper dialogue for explaining justice and the soul of an individual.

Socrates is very earnest in his attempt to deliberate whether or not the soul is made of only one part or many. Socrates in his attempt brings up an important issue of one object not being able to perform multiple tasks. He says that the soul at times will have a desire to do something but there will be a sense of control that will come over it and therefore he concludes that it must have at least two parts. "Then we may fairly assume that they are two, and that they differ from one another; the one with which a man reasons, we may call the rational principle of the soul; the other, with which he loves, and hungers, and thirsts, and feels the flutterings of any other desire, may be termed the irrational or appetitive, the ally of sundry pleasures and satisfactions?"(439d) He goes on to give definition to this idea which he has just produced. He defines the three parts of the soul as appetite, reason and spirit. He says that the third part, spirit, is usually found along with reason. Socrates now explains his reasoning for an individual being just. Being that Socrates was able to break the soul into three different parts he wants to compare each of these parts with an element of the city he talked of. Socrates example for this comparison is one in which parallels are drawn between reason and the Guardians, spirit and the Auxilaries, and appetite and the masses. If the personality of an individual is able to stay in its proper role within a person when brought up on this comparison, then that individual will be just. He says that justice is something that is primarily from within the person. The just man "sets his own house in order and rules himself."(443d) Injustice will only occur when the elements of personality are not in the proper relationship. The relationship that Socrates was able to produce leads me to clearly see a better focus of how justice is concentrated with the soul. Justice as Socrates has led me to believe is something that is not bothered with the material world and what it can provide. Justice as described by Socrates is something that can have a very positive effect on a man's soul.

A Philosopher as described in earlier text from this book is a man who has a true vision. This leads Socrates to say that Philosophers are the best option to be the ones to guard the laws and the rich customs of the city. The other men who try and perform this job are the ones that are blind as talked about in the allegory of the cave. He brings up specific points about the nature and character of the philosophical man. "And must not that be a blameless study which he only can pursue who has the gift of a good memory, and is quick to learn - noble, gracious, the friend of truth, justice, courage, temperance, who are his kindred?"(487a) A philosopher is able to properly understand the nature of forms because of the grace which they possess and their ability to understand how things in society should be properly taken care of. It is these people which are the ones Socrates believes that should be trusted for the welfare of the state. Socrates being himself a philosopher is very strong in his assertions about this point. He speaks very strongly against the man who is ruler of