Plato Justice Essay

As one of the initial and most significant forbearers of Western political thought, the writings of Plato are amongst the most recognizable works in the world. In his steadfast commitment to the promotion of critical thinking and reasoning, he helped transform Greek thought as we know it. Amongst is most influential texts is “the Republic” in which he takes an introspective look at the concepts which best define civilization and life such as virtue, education, and justice. It is the aim of Plato throughout this work to help define and isolate the concept of justice, as it applies to the individual person or soul, as well as to how it applies to a society, or city. It is within this pursuit of knowledge that Plato crafted the direction of this reading, in an effort to fully realize these essential concepts. To bring a complete understanding to his conception of justice, Plato attempts to draw and make significant analogies between “Justice of the Soul” and “Justice of the City”. Plato infers that the understanding of these theories of a just or “ideal” city will also lead to determining what is defined by “Justice of the Soul.” Although Plato undoubtedly has left certain ambiguities in his attempt to make a connection between the two understandings, the parallels are solidified enough to stand on their own.   The compatibility between the two interrelated concepts of justice is best viewed through the separation of the subjects that Plato highlights to help make clear his definition. These subjects include the utmost importance order has in the pursuit of justice both the city and the soul. To get to the crux of the matter, similarities must be drawn and considered between the two concepts of justice. In order to be able to see to the coexistence of this parallel, the role they play in supporting each other also must also be understood. Through emphasizing the similarities on their reliance in order, the comparable separations between different aspects of the...