Has Plato reached his goal, if the city over which these philosophers are to rule is a cave, is it indeed just? In Socrates’ analogy of a city, as the city grows larger and its tastes become more luxurious and more internal control is needed to protect the property rights of individuals. Even that isn’t enough, as an army is needed both to protect the city from jealous neighbors and insidious citizens within. The city is unable to function properly unless the various segments of the population work in harmony; the lower class provides the labor, the middle class is formed by the auxiliaries (true guardians), who in turn serve the rulers and these classes are determined by the type of metal that each person contains in their soul. It is better
