Plato’s View on Justice and the Ideal State:- Literary Criticism

Plato’s View on Justice and the Ideal State:-

v Introduction:-

            “The republic” may be called a work on politics, yet philosophy lurks behind. In Plato’s vision, politics, and philosophy, art and morality, ethic and metaphysics, education and civilization are inter-related. Once Plato thought of being a

politician, but after he came into contact with Socrates, a revolution change in his outlook. All world ambition glitter and gold were gone. He became essentially a philosopher. In Plato’s opinion, Socrates was an embodiment of knowledge, an incarnation of wisdom. In “Crito” he considered Socrates as the noblest, the best and the wises of men. In all his works we find an echo of his master’s views and methods. “Virtue is Knowledge” are the catchwords of “The Republic”. Plato did not believe in guesswork, speculation, intuition and luck.

v Ideal of Justice

            The world “Republic in Latin means “concerning justice’. Five personas took part in the discussion on the true concept of justice, Cephalous, Polemacus, Thrasymacus, Gloucon and Socrates, who Plato’s alter ego. Here Socrates is Plato’s mouthpiece because both are in quest of the truth about justice and the ideal of commonwealth.

v Justice and Injustice:-

            In Book – II of “Republic” Gloucon challenges the Socratic view that the just are better and stronger than the unjust. He maintains that justice is inferior to injustice. Socrates says that justice is to be valued for its own sake. Gloucon holds that justice has much to do with the Government and the society. Citizens know that evil should be punished. The Government or the society is formed to remove the evil. Justice is the process of removing the evil. If evil can ne dong with being punished, people will not prefer to act justly. There was a man called Gyges who had a ring which could make him invisible. Even if a just man had such a ring, he would naturally feel tempted to do evil because he had no change to be detected. It often happens that an unjust man enjoys all the fruits and benefits and the just man has only his virtue. In that case, the just man would like to become unjust. Here Polemacus says that the path of virtue is beset with thorns while the path of vice is decorated with flowers. Justice should be cultivated without any ulterior motive.

v Social Justice:-

            Then Socrates proposes that we should seek justice first in the State and then in the individual. Thus he gives his concept of an Ideal Republic. He compared justice to an animal which was being hunted. Socrates and other participants imaged themselves to be the hunters. they saw all around to find out justice. But to their surprise, hey found that the game was always before them, yet could not see it. Here Socrates points out the just consists in doing one’s duties and refusing to meddle with the duties of others. When all the members of the society concentrate on their sphere of duties. It may be called social justice.

v Three Virtues: -

            Besides the virtue of ‘social justice’. Socrates speaks about other three virtues which make the state perfect, wisdom, Temperance and Courage. Wisdom lies in those who are intensely in quest of Realty. The Guardians as the State are endowed with this virtue. Temperance may be defined a ‘mastery of one’s self’. It is a virtue common to all. The good prevails over the bad, we may call it Temperance. This virtue is shared equally by the rulers, soldiers and members of the agricultural and working classes. We find courage in the soldieries who guard the members of the society engaged  in agriculture., crafts and trade.

v Ideal Commonwealth:-

            Then Socrates turns to his concept of an Ideal Commonwealth. In the past, people of different occupations lived together with a deeps sense of harmony. In such a society or state, justice was quite possible because the people were simple and unsophisticated. They were satisfied with the basic necessities of life. Then with the passage of time, the state was expanding and they were not satisfied with whatever thy were or they had. They were lost in foppery, finery, gold and jewellery, paining and music. They invaded the neighbor’s territory. The invaders were a new class of people known as soldiers.

v Guardians of Society:

            Socrates further points out there must be good ruler to control such as situation. For them, he uses the word ‘guardians’. They should be highly educate men. He says, “Then in our judgment the man whose natural gifts promise to make him a perfect guardian of the state will be philosophical high spirit, swift- footed and strong. First he should have religious education. He should represent God as good and true. Religion should be followed by morality which consists of good manners and good taste. Harmony is possible through music, poetry and gymnastic. Real education is the harmonious development of he mind and the body. The function of music is also a great. It promotes rhythm and harmony. Philosophy enables a person to have an idea about the Ultimate reality.

            The ideal Guardian of the state must be sensually philosophical. They must have an endless thirst for the knowledge of real existence They must have devotion to truth. They should rise about physical pleasure. They should have no lust for money. They should generosity of mind. They should always practice justice and gentleness. They should understand things quickly and must have rhythm and harmony their character. Only such guardian can prove themselves to be excellence rules. Over and above such rulers should live a little away from the other class in the suburbs and should not have personal property of their own.

            Thus in Book II of “The Republic” Plato gives his ideal concept  of justice and common wealth. His views remind us of Pope’s words,

“Honour and shame from no condition arise, A

Act well your part and there all the honour lies.