Plato’s Ethics: Justice, Soul, and Ideal Polis
Plato’s Ethics
Plato’s society was complex, with groups and conflicts, where the best for the group was not always the best for the individual. Furthermore, to know something, there must be stable, secure knowledge. The Sophists believed truth was a matter of convention. According to the skeptic Gorgias, permanent reality does not exist, and even if it did and someone could grasp it, they could not communicate it to others, asserting that only appearances exist. The relativist Protagoras argued that man is the measure of all things, and what is correct, just, and good is determined by the majority. The Sophists believed that nature could not support rules, and that rational norms were needed.
Plato defended the existence of universal concepts and stable entities, aiming to know good rather than just do the right thing. He believed that having a permanent reality allows us to know the idea of Justice and be fair. He explained this through the tripartite soul, where the soul is immortal and holds a reminiscence of the ideas forgotten at birth. The soul consists of three parts: rational, irascible, and appetitive. To reach the Ideas, there must be a balance and harmony between all parts.
The Ideal Polis
The Ideal Polis is based on the predominant type of soul, with each social class having its function:
- Producers: Predominantly appetitive soul. Their function is to produce goods. They cultivate the virtue of temperance, have wealth, and family ties. They include artisans, farmers, and traders.
- Guards: Predominantly irascible soul. Their function is to defend the city from attacks. They cultivate the virtue of bravery and do not have wealth or family ties.
- Philosopher Rulers: Predominantly rational soul. Their function is to govern with just laws. They cultivate the virtue of prudence, govern with justice, do not have private property, and do not govern in turn.
The division into social classes is achieved through an educational process that organizes the state. The level of education determines an individual’s group.
The Myth of the Winged Chariot
Plato described the myth of the winged chariot led by a charioteer and drawn by a black and a white horse. When the driver guides the horses, each does its job, and the chariot reaches its destination. This myth represents the three parts of the soul:
- The driver represents the rational soul, which looks at the ideas and plans.
- The white horse represents the irascible soul, expressing anger at injustice.
- The black horse represents the appetitive soul, seeking comfort and pleasure.
The parts of the soul are hierarchical, as in the Ideal Polis, where producers are subordinate to the guards, and the guards to the rulers. The appetitive soul is subject to the irascible, and both are subject to reason. Immoderate appetites, passion, and a lack of intelligence lead to imbalance. Stabilizing the virtues of the soul leads to harmony, which can only be achieved by philosophers who reach the Idea of Good and can govern and enforce just laws. This imbalance makes a civilized state possible but also creates degenerations. The ideal, though utopian, is a community of philosophers. In reality, individual souls and virtues are predominant.
Conclusion
Plato concludes that some people know what is fair but do not act on it because their passions are misguided. In the conflict between nature and law, a righteous soul needs a just city. The wise need education that only the city can offer, and that city is only possible if philosophers rule. Both are needed. But how is it possible that one comes before the other? And is only the wise person fair? What if certain knowledge is impossible, as the Sophists say?