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When I finish reading a book I loved, I’ve developed the habit to refer to its bibliography, in order to compile a list of future literary works to devour. Over my past readings “The Republic” of Plato always seemed to be brought up; it then seemed logical, I’d even say crucial, for me to immerse myself in the philosopher’s wisdom in regards to the political organization of states. The Republic‘s goal is to define justice and the conditions pertaining to its fulfillment in the world.
According to the author, a fair State is the responsibility of its citizens. A fair person is someone who is able to temper their desires and anger. The author admits that every human’s soul can be divided into three dimensions that must be hierarchized in order to reach the highest state of happiness and justice: reason, anger and desire. A man masters himself when he is capable to sooth his desires and anger, and a man is a slave to himself when he gives in to his every pleasure, passion, desire and anger. Plato claims that the reason why states are unfair is mainly because they overly increase the value of the fulfillment of people’s every desire.
Speaking of individuals within a community, the author claims that each individual must work a job in which he is most talented; Justice is, according to him, minding one’s business, and a just state is a state where the citizens are divided into three groups, according to their aptitudes and the traits of character inherent to their natural dispositions, accomplish virtuously their work, so that the state as a whole (meaning its citizens) can benefit from the best everyone has to offer. The three categories are divided as follows:
Producers, ruled by concupiscence; auxiliaries (military men), ruled by rage (in the sense of fervor in the accomplishment of a core); guardians (person in power), ruled by reason.
Plato concludes by claiming that the core of organizing a state will fall to the guardians, who are ruled by reason and are wise. But beforehand, the latter will have to strengthen their spirit thanks to poetry and music; and their body, thanks to gymnastics, in order to fulfill their function to the best of their ability. The real guardians will be philosophers, able to distinguish good from bad and not appealed by the power of governing.
