The Values Of Plato In The Republic By Plato

The Republic by Plato is not a commandment in which all societies to adhere to. Instead, it is a dialogue proposing an ideal state where there are rulers and those who are ruled. Inherently known, there must be virtues established as well as a hierarchy of people who are in this society. Throughout the Republic, Plato imposes on Socrates and uses him as a mouthpiece to deliver the ideas. Even to this day, the comments in the Republic as well as the philosophical ideals implemented in this dialogue, are unknown as to whether Socrates himself has said it, or Plato. In Book 4 of the Republic, Plato discusses what virtues are in this ideal state and how it relates to the individual. For the first time, Plato shows the resemblance between the individual …show more content…
Ethics are how one should govern themselves. This is usually through moral assumptions, but Plato uses the virtues as a way to describe what is virtuous, therefore ultimately good, and what is not virtuous. The State mirrors the individual soul; therefore, the State virtues mirror the virtues of the individual soul. Plato makes the distinction that the human soul actually has three parts, but that will be discussed later. In order to achieve the virtue moderation, or balance, the three parts of the soul must ultimately be in harmony with each …show more content…
One of the reasons for this, and this goes back to the idea that the State can be flawed therefore the soul as well, is because each part of the soul wants to rule the other two. For example, the appetite part of the soul is concerned with pleasurable things and desires. Similar to psychoanalytic, the appetite can be conceptualized as the “Id” part of us. Defined by neurologist Sigmund Freud, the Id is the part of the soul that caves into human desires such as food, sex, or wealth which is ruled by the pleasure principle. [a lil