Philosophy

Philosophy Study Guide

● Workers: Craftspeople, farmers, artisans, shopkeepers ● Guardians: Soldiers, police, firefighters ● Philosopher: Kings A just state is one in which all the groups perform their unique functions in excellent fashion and all members of society work together harmoniously. Plato believed that all three types of people correspond to the three fundamental parts of the soul: appetite, spirit, and reason. Plato uses the metaphor of a chariot and driver to explain the soul’s functioning: The driver is reason working to control and direct the two powerful horses spirit and appetite. In a virtuous person, the three elements of the soul function together in a smoothly integrated and productive way. Thus, for Plato, the virtuous soul and the just state are mirrors of one another, and they both reflect the cardinal virtues characteristic of a good society and a truly happy individual. Guard Guardians Courage Temperance Appetites Nourish Workers Temperance Justice exists in the state and the individual when all the elements perform their distinctive function and work together as a smoothly articulated and balanced whole. In contrast, injustice occurs when the parts of the state or the individual fail to perform the functions for which they were designed or they fail to work with the other members in a harmonious way. Plato’s theory of the state, it is both structured and hierarchical. Once people have been sorted into their respective groups based on their intrinsic talents, they are typically expected to remain in those social classes and work toward the good of the entire society and this may entail subsuming their own personal interests and preferences so that society may flourish. Plato found it acceptable for people to move within their social class but he cautioned that trying to move to another social class would do harm to society as a whole contributing to an unjust society, and because society and its citizens have a close, reciprocal relationship with one another, such a wicked behavior would also threaten the happiness of its citizens. For many people in the modern era who committed to egalitarian values which is characterized by a belief that all people are intrinsically equal, and democratic principles in which all people should have an equal voice in governing, may see Plato’s ideas as offensive, but it is important to remember that Plato’s hierarchy based on wisdom and enlightenment, at least for the ruling leaders. Plato believed that all people should strive to achieve a rationally based understanding of the essence of truth and goodness. The people who are best equipped to rule are those who have earned the right through the development of their rational intellects. In principle, this system of intellectual merit would not exclude anyone based on gender, race, or social class: The sole criterion would be one’s developed wisdom. Plato was clear in his belief that women were as qualified as men to be rulers and ought to share the same education as men to prepare them. Plato believed that for individuals to lead virtuous lives and attain happiness, they needed to conform to their intrinsic natures and fulfill their unique Elements of a Virtuous Soul Elements of Soul Functions Elements of State Rule Philosopher- Kings Wisdom Elements of a Just State Wisdom Reason Courage Spirit

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