Equality, And Justice In Plato's Republic

Government is something necessary to the growth of civilization, and the cohabitation with other humans. Its general purpose is to make laws that protect citizens rights, maintain justice and peace among the people, and to protect them from outside threats. To have a society that is content they must have certain rights under the law. Government must also provide ways to settle disputes between citizens; as well as to punish those who commit crimes against other people. Lastly government must be able to protect its citizens from other who wish to do them harm. Without this even the most perfect society could be crushed at the hands of another. Within this essay I will describe both the purpose of government, and how this government could be …show more content…
Plato says in the Republic that “... And yet we’ve still said nothing about the most compelling force of all. The punishments – disfranchisement, fines, or death – which these educational experts inflict on those who won’t listen to them, imposing sanctions were persuasion has failed.” This means that Plato believes that a government, like an unlimited democracy, the majority can make arbitrary and unjust decisions about certain people to harm them. In respect to equality, and justice this means that all people have to be treated the same. Plato did not believe that government should punish someone for a crime, and not punish someone else for the same crime. Plato also believed that everyone had a natural ability. Meaning that everyone is naturally skilled at something, and for some this was military service. To create a government that can withstand outside force a military is necessary so it would make sense to have only those naturally skilled to take part in the …show more content…
Without government there would be chaos. It is human nature to seek power, and inevitably someone would gain power in this chaos. Government is a necessity to protect people 's rights, and promote justice in society. Government should treat everyone equally under the law, and make people learn all of the facts before convicting them of a crime. Essentially without a just government the few would prosper and the many would suffer. Society as a whole benefits from a just government because people are free to express themselves. They can create whatever art they want, they can wear whatever they want, and they can speak however they want. Without all of these freedoms society would not be allowed to flourish, and would become boring and dull. In conclusion government is a necessity without it society would crumble, and chaos would