Plato Republic Essay

The role of virtue in Plato’s Republic is to give structure to the ideal State. This is because it is argued that, man, left to his own convictions and outwardly just will give into the temptation to be unjust when it benefits him and when he has certainty he will not be caught. In Book IV Plato, through Socrates as a character discusses the virtues that make up this ideal State; they are wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice.Wisdom, courage, and temperance are attributed to three classes that make up the State. Wisdom is attributed to the Guardian class, Courage is attributed to the Warrior class, and Temperance is attributed to the Artisan class.

The class structure resembles a triangle divided into three sections where at the top the fewest members of the ideal state belong to the Guardian class. The second section has more members than the top but fewer than the base; this class belongs to the Warriors. The final class encompasses the most members and is reserved for Artisans.

People, who by their nature, are endowed with the ability to gain knowledge and understand the consequence of decisions made about the state with this knowledge possess the virtue of wisdom.Plato as Socratesmakesan argument about the difference between knowledge and wisdom.He says: “There is knowledge of the carpenter; but is that the sort of knowledge which gives a city the title of wise and good in counsel?” He then says “Then a city is not to be called wise because possessing a knowledge which counsels for the best about wooden implements”.

The warrior class encompasses members who no matter what circumstance their courage could not falter. Socrates, in The Republic, gives an example about carefully dyed wool; it cannot lose its color when dyed c...

... middle of paper ...

...ustice is man’s nature. That is to say, if man follows his nature ungrudgingly, is beholden to it, fully accepts his class, his lot in life, and performs the duties of that class to the fullest extent, then the ideal State comes about naturally. Hobbes view of this idea of Justice, the law of nature, is that nature of man is chaotic, violent and mankind cannot function if left simply to their nature. Interestingly Plato’s idea of man’s nature is similar in that a man given the opportunity to be unjust will take the unjust path. However Plato argues that by nurturing their strengths, individuals will produce a society, an ideal State. Hobbes argues that while man’s nature is survive by any means, that man is rational enough to realize that living is this chaos is no way to live so man will appoint a sovereign ruler to insure that a social contract is being abided by.