On the onset of the Republic, Plato defines justice as "doing one's own job." This idea corresponds to the city as a whole, wherefore if everyone is doing their own work, then a city is just. He also states that to be successful, the society must not let classes get entangled, such as letting a farmer rule the state. If this happens, the just state will be deformed and eventually turn into a democracy leading to nothing but chaos, in Plato's eyes. Using Plato's definitions of "justice" and "success," the United States can be viewed as a type of democracy, where these values are only somewhat present. Monetarily, the United States can be viewed as successful, but that is not success in Plato's mind. Not only do I think Plato is correct in his definitions, but I also believe that with the slightest error, chaos could be in our future.
             As previously mentioned, Plato believes justice in the state and in the individual stems from the belief that one person should not impose on another person's work and just do his own thing. Using this definition, Plato would view our government as unjust because our auxillaries, the senate and congress, is made up of individuals who are businessmen, farmers, and entertainers. They could not be working for the community in the sense that they did not devote their lives to learning and philosophy. Only those who did this are worthy to serve as such men. Likewise, the president would not be chosen in a random election. In our society, any one can run for president as long as he gets the necessary votes. This, in Plato's terms can be a fatal flaw. If such a man would be elected, he would neither have the knowledge nor the natural abilities to run the United States. "The State will be ruined when it has Guardians of silver or bronze." In this quote, Plato points out that if an unfit ruler is chosen, the state will degrade into such f...