As was discussed in the first Short Argument paper, Plato contemplates whether or not the distribution of wealth has an effect on justice in a given society. In Plato’s Republic, Plato gives an account of civic justice that justifies the constraints on the distribution of wealth. His student, Socrates, forms a hypothetical, utopian city called the kallipolis in order to lay out the criteria for justice within a city. In order to obtain justice in the kallipolis, everyone is given a duty assigned by the education system for which the individual is best suited, and the individual must perform this duty well. According to Plato’s account, when everyone in the kallipolis puts forth their best effort and completes the duties assigned to the
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Is justice worth choosing for its own sake? In order for Socrates to successfully answer this question, he must first define what justice is. He forms the kallipolis in order to look at justice from a large scale and to later narrow in on the justice found in an individual. Socrates first starts with the basics of a city: food, clothing and goods, and shelter. He determines that not a single man can perform the tasks in order to provide all of these necessities for the city, so the “essential minimum” is approximately four to five men (369d) who will perform each task individually. An individual is not self-sufficient; people depend on other people to provide for them what they cannot. As stated in 370c, “The result, then, is that more plentiful and better-quality goods are more easily produced if each person does one thing for which he is naturally suited.” In the ideal scenario, everyone is to thrive in the kallipolis. Each citizen is appointed by the education system to a group in which they are best fit, or naturally suited, in order to excel in what they do. The jobs are assigned solely on the abilities the individual possesses for a certain job. Since the duties of the citizens concern only these abilities, heredity, gender, and wealth do not play a factor in the assignment of these duties, further supporting …show more content…
These three groups are constructed in order to create a life that is good for everyone. The producers make up most of the general population and provide the goods and services for the city, not just the individual. The guardians consist of individuals who work to protect the laws they create and the constitution of the city. Finally, the auxiliaries protect the city from physical harm and attack. The three groups formed in the kallipolis provide a sense of checks and balances over one another in order for all the groups to maintain equality of power throughout the city. For an example of comparison, the modern government in the United States of America uses checks and balances amongst the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to refrain from one branch gaining too much power over the other in order to form the most just nation possible. The producers make and supply the weaponry and materials to the auxiliaries so they are able to fight and protect the city, and more importantly, the guardians. The guardians create and implement the laws of the city while protecting the constitution to provide a system for which the kallipolis can function properly. Without the checks and balances within these three groups, one group could potentially gain power or wealth over another. As stated in 421e, “So poverty and wealth make a
Is justice worth choosing for its own sake? In order for Socrates to successfully answer this question, he must first define what justice is. He forms the kallipolis in order to look at justice from a large scale and to later narrow in on the justice found in an individual. Socrates first starts with the basics of a city: food, clothing and goods, and shelter. He determines that not a single man can perform the tasks in order to provide all of these necessities for the city, so the “essential minimum” is approximately four to five men (369d) who will perform each task individually. An individual is not self-sufficient; people depend on other people to provide for them what they cannot. As stated in 370c, “The result, then, is that more plentiful and better-quality goods are more easily produced if each person does one thing for which he is naturally suited.” In the ideal scenario, everyone is to thrive in the kallipolis. Each citizen is appointed by the education system to a group in which they are best fit, or naturally suited, in order to excel in what they do. The jobs are assigned solely on the abilities the individual possesses for a certain job. Since the duties of the citizens concern only these abilities, heredity, gender, and wealth do not play a factor in the assignment of these duties, further supporting …show more content…
These three groups are constructed in order to create a life that is good for everyone. The producers make up most of the general population and provide the goods and services for the city, not just the individual. The guardians consist of individuals who work to protect the laws they create and the constitution of the city. Finally, the auxiliaries protect the city from physical harm and attack. The three groups formed in the kallipolis provide a sense of checks and balances over one another in order for all the groups to maintain equality of power throughout the city. For an example of comparison, the modern government in the United States of America uses checks and balances amongst the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to refrain from one branch gaining too much power over the other in order to form the most just nation possible. The producers make and supply the weaponry and materials to the auxiliaries so they are able to fight and protect the city, and more importantly, the guardians. The guardians create and implement the laws of the city while protecting the constitution to provide a system for which the kallipolis can function properly. Without the checks and balances within these three groups, one group could potentially gain power or wealth over another. As stated in 421e, “So poverty and wealth make a