Plato and the State
"In reality for a long time past we have been talking of justice, and have failed to recognize her," claims Plato in The Republic (153). Plato, being the brilliant philosopher that he is deals with justice and its virtues day in and day out. He is constantly questioning in a society where inquiries are not welcome. Throughout both The Republic and The Trial and Death of Socrates, Plato looks at justice from a number of different aspects. In reading them, one will be able to evaluate Plato's notion of justice, whether or not Socrates is a just person, and how Socrates compares to our society.Throughout "On Virtue in the State and in the Soul" from Plato's The Republic, Socrates is searching for the definition of justice. He decided that he and his friend, Glaucon, would have to determine the three other virtues courage, temperance, and wisdom first. After they did this, justice would be defined by what ever was The topic of wisdom was their first "stop" on their quest for justice. Plato's belief is that wisdom is held by the guardians, a small part of society, that "have the only knowledge worthy to be called wisdom" (Republic 147).
The concept of one ruler being completely just and ruling over an entire state is virtually nonexistent in our society. Such action would cause instability with the desire component of our soul because desire and reason would be arguing amongst each other. Actually, an educator will specialize in one field but also be knowledgeable in many other issues and concerns. Desire, for example, is a man "drawing to himself the thing which he wishes to possess" (Republic 158). Under Plato's criteria, this would make them unworthy of being referred to as just. Not trying to escape his ill-deserved punishment showed not only wisdom and courage, but also balanced the harmony within his soul allowing him to greet death peacefully. Socrates had lived in Athens his entire life and raised a family there. Therefore, in order to comply with all aspects of justice, one must first satisfy his soul and the components that affect it because "the condition of your soul is more important than life itself" (Inglis). Plato would have thought him to be a very pure and just citizen; standing up for what he believed in and cleansing his soul from the filth of the surrounding world. This can affect educators drastically because although they enjoy a certain student's personality, the student does not put forth the necessary effort and receives low grades. "The just man does not permit the several elements within him to interfere with each other, he sets in order his own inner life, and is his own master and his own law, and is at peace with himself" concluded Plato within "On Virtue in the State and in the Soul" (169). One of the charges brought up against Socrates is corrupting the youth of Athens. As stated in The Republic, justice can be defined by "the power of each individual in the State to do his own work" (153). This would make them wise because their knowledge is "not about any particular State, but about the whole" (Republic 146).
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