Plato believed in the ultimate goodness of the soul; in its ability, if it chose, to cast off evil and "hold to the upper road;" in short, he was an idealist. In Republic, using Socrates as his mouth-piece, he builds on this belief a vision of the ideal society: the climax before the age, it may be, of humanism.
The soul, he says, has three parts. There is the animal part, self-serving and careful for physical things; there is the spirited part, brave, the source of anger and passion; and there is the philosophic part, gentle, seeking wisdom, fit to temper its counterparts. In every man, one part has ascendancy, and that man will be fittest for a civic position corresponding to his ascendant nature. The rulers, then, of this society, must be of a special kind - philosopher-kings, as it were; the warriors or guardians - for Plato does not create a non-violent utopia - must have spirited natures; and those whose animal part is ascendant, may be fit only for laborers, farmers, and artisans. Having established an aristocracy, based not on financial bracket, but on category of soul, Plato examines the corruption which may ruin even such an intitially excellent city as he has planned.
The rulers, he says, must be kept from the desire for wealth and power, with an eye only to the Civic good. To do this, they must chosen young, and live in an environment free from the springs of corruption, together. Guardians, spirited by nature, must be taught �music' to gentle their spirits without losing their courage.
Plato outline the ideal education, to create citizens for his ideal state. They must be taught, he says, gymnastics for the good of their bodies, and literature, music, and philosophy for the good of their souls. And they must be chosen young for the position they would later occupy, so that the correct part of their soul could be cultivated.
The whole criteria for an ideal state, is justice. Plato's whole discourse, and conception, arises from a question about the nature of Justice. It is, he finally decides, that which occurs when every part works in its proper place, without interfering with the other parts; more succinctly, all things working together for good. This premise lacked one thing: the realization that man does not have any power over his fate, and that despite or because of his efforts, ultimate good is insured since ultimate outcomes are all in the hand of a good God.
Why did Plato care about Justice? Early on, in his discourse, he determines that, of itself, it has no redeeming qualities, tending rather to degrade it advocate than otherwise. Of course, its effects are desirable - such as this very ideal society; but still another consideration boosts his philosophy. In the end of his discourse, Plat tell a story which is basically intended to prove the immortality and reincarnation of the soul: �the journey of a thousand years,' in which his soul passes on and on from one mortal habitation to another, was his anticipation of life to come; and his only hope for something better was to persever in justice, and other virtues, that he might �fare-well' on the long journey. A forlorn hope, if ever there was one.
©Copyright, 2004, Robert Quiller