Platonic Justice
Throughout Platos Republic, the subject of platonic justice and its goodness to its self arise and are discussed amongst Plato and his peers. At the beginning of The Republic, Plato asks the fundamental question of what is justice? Looking to define the ideal state of justice, Plato reasons that he must first define justice in theory before he can use justice practically. Platonic Justice is defined as being a harmony between the tripartite soul in which reasons guide the spirit and appetite. Justice is said to be good in itself and good in its practical ends. It is educating desires, implementing the human faculty of reason. Justice is not the interest of the stronger, but more the interest of the weaker. An unjust life, which is dominated by the spirit, leads one to an addiction for material goods or possessions. A platonically just life leads to harmony, balance, and virtue. A just life in this case allows attainment of satisfaction where as an unjust life does not. The truly unjust ultimately destroy themselves, whereas the truly just preserve themselves. Wether or not Platonic Justice is good for its own sake is to be determined. After Plato debates and dismisses that justice is the interest
person benefits over the unjust, Plato moves on to define justice and the just life. Plato reasons that justice is having a particular state of being. Justice is a function of the mind. Since reason separates us from nature, reason makes us superior to the rest of nature. Reason is our highest faculty and reason should be our highest goal. A life spent in pursuit of power, wealth, and honor is dominated by the spirit. Our reason gives us free will, thus a life dominated by spirit is not free, but a slave to itself, No one can be truly happy without a sense of limitation or balance. The spirited life becomes addicted to want , never realizing satisfaction. Like an animal the spirited man moves from one satiation to the next. However, a life dominated by reason, in which reason balances the spirited and appetitive natures to harmony, results in a good life. Thus the just person will have the appetitive, spirited, and reasoning aspects of the soul in harmony, with reason to guide and director of the passions and appetite. Lacking a concrete definition, justice would be the balance of the tripartite soul, with reason in control. Justice is a harmony between the tripartite soul in which reason guides the spirit and appetite. Justice is good in itself and good in its practical ends. Justice is educating desires, implementing the human faculty of reason. A just life
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Approximate Word count = 923
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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