Plato Socrates Ideal City

The Republic of Plato revolves around the definition of justice and the structure of the ideal city. The structure of the ideal city and a city that is just is manifested through the need for each individual to do their own part in order to shape what ultimately composes Socrates idea of the ideal city.

The story follows Socrates as he tries to define Justice while conversing amongst other members of society. At the start of Book I, Socrates juggles three different definitions of justice as he tries to slowly narrow it down to a single coherent definition. In book two Socrates says that he has broken down and analyzed many different arguments of justice yet he still cannot define it, and as a result he says “so long as I do not know what the just is,

Those who are warriors and rulers would belong to the guardian class which is made up of those who think most similarly to the philosophers and are the well educated members of society. The first level of the guardian class are the rulers. The rulers are those who are wise and must mend disagreements between citizens and create public policy. The warriors or second level of the guardian class are those who have the courage to dedicate their life to protecting the city. The rest of society, or the workers who must be moderate and fulfill their duty to the city by completing their work. Once they understand that their individual needs are inferior to the needs of the whole then the ideal city will be born. So if all members of society fulfill their duties then the only thing left is justice. Socrates solidifies his definition of justice when he says that justice is each person doing their own work. Socrates believes that not one person can reasonably provide themselves with all of the necessities for living, and therefore we as humans must form communities in order to survive. He says, "Make sure that the city is neither small nor seemingly great, but