Socrates' Appropriation of the Ideas

Socrates says justice is harmony and justice is doing one's own job. However, the vagueness of these two definitions makes it difficult to get a clear sense of what Socrates perceived justice to be. In the literature, Socrates offers these two main analogies to explain the definition of justice. These analogies he presents are the division of parts in the soul, and the division of the parts of the city.

We now need to examine the structure of the soul. The soul is divided into three parts: the appetitive or desire, passionate or spirited, and reason. The appetitive refers to the part "with which it lusts, hungers, thirsts and gets excited by other appetites" (IV, 439d). It is the part of the soul that hungers for immoral gratification and has no rational consciousness in its desires. This leads us to define another part of the soul. This particular part can keep the appetite restrained and can enable the soul to differentiate between good and bad; this part is the reason part of the soul. The reason part calculates and makes balanced decisions in the best interest of the whole soul. The third and final part of the soul is the passion, or the part of the soul that is courageous, vigorous and strong willed. The spirited naturally, if "it hasn't been corrupted by a bad upbringing" (IV, 441a), allies with the reason part.

By the account of the parts of the soul we are shown how a soul has different wills. Yet, in order for a soul to stay in the just path, it must have some sort of ruler. Socrates describes the passionate part as the courageous ally of the reason part, which has the control over the appetitive part. Although the description of the soul might furnish an idea regarding the definitions of justice I mentioned above, we should first examine the structure of the state.

Similarly, the state can also be divided into three segments. So, we divide the people state into three types: the producing class, guardians and the rulers. It is obvious that that sort of division seems awkward when placed over our own capitalist society. We must keep in mind that in the republic that Plato is describing, each individual is directed by vast education and the utmost care towards the work he could do with excellence. The children in the republic are separated from their parents at birth and therefore get the same equal chance of becoming producers or rulers without any prejudice regarding their upbringing or family background. Rather, they are evaluated personally, according to what best suits their strengths.

The producers are the people that are best fitted to practice a specific form of labor. These individuals comprise the part of the Society whose role is to provide food, clothes and any other necessities the state requires. They are required to be moderate and obedient to their ruler.

The guardians are the people that are best fitted to fight, people that are passionate and that pass the tests of the state by holding firmly to the patriotic attitude needed in order to defend the state from enemies. They must exhibit virtue of courage and be well educated in order to stay loyal and not harm the citizens even though they are naturally stronger. The rulers are people that have the virtue of wisdom, they must not seek the glory and fame of being a ruler rather it should be perceived as the duty of those who are fitted to rule to take on the burden of ruling their state. The rulers are people that have the interest of the whole in mind, they love their city, they understand its rules and therefore will do everything within their power to preserve