The Republic

The Republic is a compilation of conversations between the great philosopher Socrates and various other characters about various topics, the major one being justice. This book opens with a dialogue between Socrates and the old man Cephalus at his home. Cephalus is a man reaching the end of his days who has been fortunate enough to have been blessed with wealth, which has enabled him to lead a life full of goodness and happiness. Their conversation begins with the merits and rewards of getting old and enjoying the fruits of a life lived being just and good, and having wealth. Socrates has enjoyed his life by not accepting money for his teachings and actions. Socrates begins to think that it may not be the actual monetary wealth that will lead him to a road of happiness but wealth of the human soul. The conversation soon turns to the topic of what justice is, as to which Cephalus quickly arrives with the answer that being just is to live up to your legal obligations and being honest. Socrates, not being a believer in this theory, rebuttals with the example of returning a weapon to a dangerous madman. The weapon is his by legal constraints, but that it would not be just and moral to return him a weapon that he might use to do harm to others.

In the beginning of book two Socrates thinks that he is through with the subject of justice, however it seems apparent from the dialogue that the other are not so far satisfied with his explanations. So in this section of the dialogue Claucon, who is one of Socrates companions, begins to discuss his belief of the three classes of all good. This discussion then leads in to a more detailed story; the story of "The Ring of Gyges", this story is about a legend of a magical ring that has the power to make people invisible while they possess it. This story is to show that all men have it in them to be unjust if they do not have to suffer the consequences of their actions. I also believe that this is the basis of human nature. In life people only learn what is good because they are afraid of what might happen to them if they do something that society considers wrong or illegal. People cannot be expected to not want to act on their impulse and urges, it is a built in internal trait of all humans. Socrates follows this story and its explanation with one of my favorite theories or principals, which is specialization. Specialization states that each person must do in life what they are best fit for, and that they might not mess with any other business for which they are not fit or the might sway they balance of that field. I especially believe in this because I think that each person is suited for a certain thing in life and that if they were to put their full interests in those fields then they would certainly prosper in them. It is when people attempt to involve themselves in a field for which they know they are not fit for but are trying to meet the requirements of their parents or society then that is when they end up unhappy and usually eventually in a failure.

As The Republic goes into book 7 it begins to tell the story that some have come to recognize that the most amazing metaphor in Western Philosophy, "The Story of the Cave." This story begins to embellish on the belief of the forms in reference to education. The story of the cave tells of how that all people begin in a certain form of existence in life and then as they grow and develop, the y transcend into different and more advanced forms with more complex ways of thinking and that in the end those who have mastered all forms and can realize that they all exist can go back into the lowest form in order for a certain balance to be held. This is established in the belief that Philosophers and Kings would only be able to he in their positions if they were able to accept and understand all four forms of existence, thus in this allegory they would have ascended fully out of the cave. I think that this again refers back to Socrates belief in specialization in where each person is fit for only one purpose. I think that each person can come to realize one certain level of the