When referencing to Plato's book, The Republic, I will be referring to Socrates views as Plato's.

I will begin by examining what Plato accounts for as good. Plato refers to three parts of the soul: Wisdom, Spirit and Appetite, and the three parts of the city: Guardians Soldiers and Workers. Plato uses an analogy of the city to explain the parts of the soul. The first part of the soul is wisdom, which is guided by reason. The guardians represent wisdom in the city because they are the most highly educated. Their job is to guard the city, as Plato outlines, "never permitting either force or deception to make them give up the conviction that they must do what is best for the state..."1

Guardians are the rulers and are the smallest, but highest class. Next are the soldiers or auxiliaries. The soldiers are concerned with courage, bravery and supporting the guardians. In the individual, they represent spirit. Finally, the last group in the city is the workers. Plato describes this group as, "the mass of diverse appetites, pleasures and pains...found chiefly among children, women slaves and the man so-called freemen form the lower classes."2 This group represents appetite in the soul. They are the lowest class but the largest. The guardians govern them.

Having discussed both philosophers' goods, I will now consider whether each philosopher believes people are naturally good. Within Plato's explanation of the three parts of the soul, he exhibits his view of whether people have the innate potential to be good. He says, "[a] temperate man is one in whom the three elements are in harmony."7 For the soul to be in harmony wisdom must be the governing part of the soul. Plato goes on to say, "simple and temperate desires governed by reason, good sense, and true opinion are to be found only in the few, those who are best born and best educated."8 Here, he exemplifies his belief that some, but clearly not all people are born with the right part of the soul controlling the other parts. Hence, Plato believes few people possess natural potential to be good because it is innately present to few at birth. Good is then nurtured and developed through education, which is limited to higher classes.

Achieving happiness involves understanding of how to live a life of virtue and excellence. Aristotle acknowledged three classes of good things: "(1) external goods, (2) goods of the soul, and (3) goods of the body."6 Goods of the soul and goods of the body are referred to as internal goods. Both goods are necessary to become supremely happy. Internal goods are important in achieving happiness because they are the most stable. Aristotle points out that as long as a person has internal goods he will never be miserable. It is because he will gain pleasure from performing virtuous acts. It is possible for a person to only have internal goods and be happy. But, to be supremely happy a person must have both goods. External goods are important because they are useful as an instrument towards performing virtuous activities. For example, if a person is wealthy and is actively virtuous he has more means to practice than a man who has no money. The wealthy man will have fewer burdens while doing his virtuous activities than a poor man whom may first have to think about feeding his family. Hence, to be supremely happy one must have both goods.

Another contrasting view the philosophers hold pertaining to external goods is on friendship and relationships with other people. Aristotle argues friendship involves virtue. It provides and opportunity for a good person to practice virtuous acts. However, the relationship must be of value otherwise it is worse than having no relationship at all. Nonetheless, the relationship is important in attaining happiness. Plato argues as long as the soul is in the

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Approximate Word count = 2110
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)