Platos the Republic: Justice - Essay Example

Plato’s the Republic: Justice Plato works on the Republic focuses on the idea of justice citing it as a worthwhile He defines justice through the appeals of human psychology instead of dealing with perceived behavior. Plato addresses the issue of “justice” by giving different definitions to clarify this philosophy. He uses two ways to define the essence of justice as serving the interest of different parts of the “soul” and that of the parts of the “state” (Bhandari). It is evident that the soul is subdivided into three unique portions, which include the appetitive, spirited, and the rational. Ideally, the appetitive component of the soul is responsible for lusts, demands, cravings, and is easily influenced by other desires. In this respect, this component of the soul longs for therefore, it has no reasoning on these weaknesses. However, the rational portion of the soul is aware and controls the appetite since it understands good and evil. The sensible part of the soul calculates and generates balanced decisions that are good for the entire soul. The spirited portion of the soul is bold, energetic and strong willed to counter the desires of the appetite. Naturally, if it is not tainted through a bad upbringing, it works together with the rational part (Purshouse 55). According to Plato, a person is just when every part of the soul does its work without interfering with the other parts. For instance, the rational part is expected to rule on behalf of the whole soul since it has wisdom and sensible judgment. The part of the spirit will obey the rational ruling set to prevent the appetites from overcoming the right action. When all the parts of the soul agree that the reason (rational) element has the power to rule, justice is achieved within this individual. In order to achieve justice, all parts of the soul must adhere to this hierarchy. The spirited part of the soul is the courageous supporter that has power over the appetite element to direct it to the way of the reason (Purshouse 55). The state on the other hand comprises of three categories of people which include the workers (farmers, artisans etc.), auxiliaries (warriors) and the guardians (rulers). The workers are people who are fit to perform certain labor, which involves generating food, clothing, and other basic requirements. They are expected to remain reasonable and subordinate to the ruler in a bid to attain real justice. The warriors are those who are energetic and fit to fight by being strongly patriotic in a bid to secure the state from foreign invasion effectively. They are people who have the virtue of courage and highly educated while remaining loyal to the ruler. In addition, the rulers are individuals within the state with the gift of wisdom and protectors of the community. They should not search for glory and recognition but rather they have a duty and it is viewed as a burden they take up for the people in the state. The rulers are individuals who hold the interest of everyone in the state and with love they can do anything within their reach to preserve it (Pomerleau 22). It is evident that Plato believes that justice is achieved in the state when the connection in these categories is balanced and right. In reality, every group must take up appropriate duties and only their responsibilities in the right position of power for a just society. The division of people in these categories is believed to be truthfully, depending on their natural capabilities. Plato gives the example of the universe generating gold, silver, and bronze where naturally the golden individuals are suitable for ruling, the silver are the guardians, while bronze are meant to work; in addition, Plato feels that justice is achieved when there is harmony and agreement in the soul or the state. All the parts of the soul and that of the state take up their respective duties for the betterment of the whole. A just situation is where everyone is doing their work perfectly as they were naturally set to do. Plato argues that “doing one’s own work” is the key to having justice in the state or within the soul without mending in others (Pomerleau 22). Plato additionally, analyzes how justice exists so that different parties work together harmoniously. He explains that all parts realize that upholding harmony is good for the whole and in any exception, the guardians and spirited are available to preserve order. Plato poses a question on who ought to become rulers, and are wise enough to oversee the interest of the whole. He believes that a ruler has the power to rule justly only if he or she possesses the virtue of knowledge regarding the true state of justice. To clarify the issue of truth, Plato gives the example of a divided line (Bhandari). A vertical line demonstrating the situation of the soul is separated into uneven subdivisions. The minor subdivision is minimal and signifies the visible, while the higher subdivision is recognized as the intelligible. The two subdivisions are further divided in an equal ratio while the higher section for each one of them is longer. The bottommost state of the soul be it out of illiteracy, is at the bottom in visible. This stage of the soul is known as imagination since it holds reflections, images, and shadows. The second stage within the visible is of things that were previously imaginations but now the soul is guided by belief and can see them as they are. The third stage is when the soul upgrades to reasoning about things and makes an argument regarding the things realized in previous stage. Plato argues that this condition of the soul resides in the intelligible territory that comprises of mathematical bodies and commonly known as stage of thought (Purshouse 94). The fourth part of Plato’s philosophy is appreciating the forms where this stage indicates that the soul assumes an understanding beyond the phase of thought. This is called realization of true forms and true type of justice is included in this phenomena. Understanding true forms is achieved by vast education and the soul is completely knowledgeable. Only when a ruler reaches this point of intellectual status that one is no longer concerned with fame or rewards, but instead focused with guiding people for the benefit of all. This kind of a ruler would guide people with wisdom and in a way that justice exists (Purshouse 95). Plato concludes by stating that only rulers with vast knowledge understand the concept of true justice. Their souls therefore, focus on accomplishing the needs of the rational part and therefore, justice is worthwhile for its own sake. The argument suggests that it is desirable to be just because an unjust ruler ends up with a tormented soul. A just soul carries virtues of health, happiness, and calm situation that lead to wise decisions that benefit everyone. He adds that even though love of money, honor, and truth may give a ruler pleasure, it is only an intelligible philosopher knows the most important of them all since one has experienced all of them. It is clear that justice is therefore, achieved when a knowledgeable ruler is guiding the people (Pomerleau 22). Similarities between the Soul and the State It is clear that the philosophy of the soul and the state contain a similar structure with justice being the same in each of them. In this regard, the workers as depicted in the state and the appetitive from the chronicle of the soul are bestowed with restraint, which enables them to control their longings. In addition, the guardians and the spirited have a similar virtue of courage to protect worker/appetitive nature from doing the wrong thing. On the other hand, both the ruler and the rational possess the virtue of wisdom to make right judgment for the sake of the whole. It is clear that a just soul is defined in likeness with a just state. In simple, a just soul aims at fulfilling the needs of the rational part just as a just state focuses on meeting the needs of what the rulers will (Purshouse 97). Conclusion In conclusion, the philosophy of “justice” is the major concept in Plato’s the Republic to address how it is generated and achieved. It is clear, that the soul is made up of the appetitive, spirited, and rational components while the rational component ensures that the appetitive and rational do not overtake the soul. On the other hand, the state has of workers, warriors, and rulers and the rulers have the wisdom to control the workers and warriors. Plato also talks of the true forms that a ruler achieves to rule justly and with intelligence. Works Cited Bhandari, Deepak. Plato's Concept Of Justice: An Analysis. n.d. Web. September 30, 2013. < http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Anci/AnciBhan.htm> Purshouse, Luke. Plato's Republic: A Reader's Guide. London: Continuum, 2006. Print. Pomerleau, Wayne. Twelve Great Philosophers: A Historical Introduction to Human Nature. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 1997. Print. Read More