The Republic of Plato by Plato Questions and Answers Already Passed

The Republic of Plato by Plato Questions and Answers Already Passed What is Plato setting out to do? He wants to define justice, and to define it in such a way as to show that justice is worthwhile in and of itself. He meets these two challenges with a single solution: a definition of justice that appeals to human psychology, rather than to perceived behavior. What is justice? Why should we be just? What is Plato's strategy in defining justice? explicate the primary notion of societal, or political, justice, and then to derive an analogous concept of individual justice. What are 3 classes for political justice? producers (craftsmen, farmers, artisans, etc.), auxiliaries (warriors), and guardians (rulers) For justice to ensure, what must happen between the 3 classes? Each group must perform its appropriate function, and only that function, and each must be in the right position of power in relation to the others. Rulers must rule, auxiliaries must uphold rulers' convictions, and producers must limit themselves to exercising whatever skills nature granted them What is Plato's view on specialization? Justice is a principle of specialization: a principle that requires that each person fulfill the societal role to which nature fitted him and not interfere in any other business. How does Plato connect the societal justice to individual justice? He claims that the soul of every individual has a three part structure analagous to the three classes of a society. What are the three parts of the soul? Rational, spirited, appetitive What does the rational part of the soul do? seeks after truth and is responsible for our philosophical inclinations What does the spirited part of the soul do? desires honor and is responsible for our feelings of anger and indignation What does the appetitive part of the soul do? lusts after all sorts of things, but money most of all (since money must be used to fulfill any other base desire) How does justice in the individual measure to justice in society in comparing power? In a just individual, the rational part of the soul rules, the spirited part of the soul supports this rule, and the appetitive part of the soul submits and follows wherever reason leads. rational = guardian spirited = auxiliaries appetitive = producers How does a just individual operate with the rational part similarly to how the ruler operations in a just society? in a just individual, the entire soul aims at fulfilling the desires of the rational part, much as in the just society the entire community aims at fulfilling whatever the rulers will. How are the three classes of society and three parts of the soul even more interconnected? Each of the three classes of society, in fact, is dominated by one of the three parts of the soul. What are producers dominated by? Producers are dominated by their appetites—their urges for money, luxury, and pleasure. What are auxiliaries dominated by? Warriors are dominated by their spirits, which make them courageous What are guardians dominated by? Rulers are dominated by their rational faculties and strive for wisdom. What