Plato and the Just Individual - Essay Example

The Just Individual and Just State Insert Name Institution Plato’s exposition of justice attempts to prescribe a definition of justice and its inherent place in society. In his attempt, Plato uses the analogy of the city and an individual to illustrate the constituents of these entities and their natural order only through logic can be achieved. The conception of justice in the Republic brings about an ideal idea of what a just state should be like. In the republic, the exposition given therein emphasizes a proper organization with distinct governors being defined and strictly required to have certain attributes and qualities. The exposition entails the regulations of what would be allowed as well what would be prohibited especially in the education system. This compares to the just individual in the sense of a harmonious organization. Plato explicates the character of a just individual as person of high self awareness in harmony with his soul. This demands an internal harmony of the rational part, the spirited part and the appetitive part. These are conflicting entities without whose proper coordination an individual justice cannot be achieved (Mobile Reference, 2008). Consequently, the analogy of the just state and a just individual settles to a common point of view of internal harmony and moral order for justice to be realized. The three facets of a state that is, the guardians, the auxiliaries and the producers are all constituent classes that must be in harmony for a justice to be realized. Comparatively, the individual must be in harmony to have an internal moral order of the rational, the spirited and the appetitive parts of the soul. In Plato’s comparative analysis of the just state and the just individual he emphasizes the common aspect of a hierarchical order. Plato’s view point is that nature is solely made f a hierarchy which is ideally a harmony of cosmic work that holds different species serving distinct purposes. Thus, autonomous of each of the constituent of different species must be maintained for justice to be extant. Ideally, anarchy is the threatening vice and a cause of the unnatural unjust chaotic lifestyles. This is likened to nature, in the republic Plato present the idea of a just state and a just individual as made of a hierarchical nature whose violates upsets the balance of harmony hence injustice (Mobile Reference, 2008). The soul of an individual is governed by a hierarchy. The hierarchy of the constituent parts, that is, the rational, the spirited and the appetitive. The hierarchy is a necessity for each part to have a definitive role. The hierarchy is: the appetitive part is subordinate to the spirited part which is consecutively inferior to the rational part. Thus an individual should be governed by reason. Although appetites are lower in the hierarchy them too have a purpose and ought consideration to a reasonable extent. This implies that appetites should not conflict or upset the ration or reason of an individual since a person would be harmony within himself. The just state has three constituent classes of individuals namely the guardians, the auxiliaries and producers. The guardians are ideal philosophers who hold positions of authority in the society; the auxiliaries are solders who safeguard the society whereas the producers are the least knowledgeable people in the society. The guardians are in the same level as the auxiliaries in the level of education. They guardians and soldier govern and defend the society irrespectively through permission and censorship of certain practices in the society. The practices and doings which are permitted are those deemed fit for consumption and preservation for use by the society. Thus the hierarchical order of the society achieves a balance by distribution of power and regulation of what is permissible and forbidden in society. However, the ideal state and its notion of justice differ from the just individual greatly. This is so due to the consequent limitation of the rights of the producers whose practices are moderated by the guardians and the soldiers. For instance, the education that is allowed in society varies from subject to subject and specific contents. Receptive art, emotionally toned and highly mimetic is prohibited thus limits the modes of permissible art. Mimesis is censored to the same level as music that only moderated content can be included in the curriculum. Although the hierarchy of the three classes that is the guardians, the auxiliaries and the producers seeks to achieve a harmonious balance, it violates the rights and the privileges of the producers. This is manifested in the censorship of art which is merely mimetic, representation life facts. The work of art is to mirror the society. The main difference between a just state and a just individual is that the just individual has definite moral order whose hierarchy has a consequent dissonance only in case the inferior parts that is the appetitive and the spirited defy ration whereas the just state has a muscle of power dominated by the superior classes whose rule censors practices accordingly to diverse ration of a generality of what is good at the expense of the inferior class. Thus, results in infinite anarchy which conflict the moral justice of a harmonious hierarchy (Rowett, et al.) In his notion of justice, Plato attempts to achieve an ideal state of affairs where an individual is strictly limited to specific roles as deem fitted fit for him or her by the hierarchy rather self-determinist. Plato proposes the ideal equilibrium of affairs with a prioritization of harmony and its consequent justice. The comparison of a just state and a just individual is solely meant to highlight and emphasize the foundation of order and harmony which must come from the basic unity of community. In additional, the moral order is part and parcel of the hierarchy of constituent parts of an individual and thus is the state. First the individual parts must be sound to impact positively and realize harmony in the large scale. Plato also attempts to achieve the idealism of the need to have subordination of some parts of the constituent’s parts of a society since their conflicting interests trigger consequent chaos. Thus, the juxtaposition of the just individual as constituent of three parts of the soul that is the rational part, the spirited part and the appetitive fairly excels in illustrating logic of the need to curb the appetites that upset the self harmony with an individual due to its discord with reason which is meant to govern the individual. Thus, the mandate of guardians of in the just state is as such paramount and must censor and stop any practices of the producers that it deems a violation of harmony in the society resulting to chaos (Reich, et al.) Plato does achieve his comparative juxtaposition of a just individual and a just state through the exploration of the constituent parts of each of them that result in a harmonious existence upon orderly organization in a hierarchical order. Plato’s idea of justice resonates around a notion of everything being part of nature of hierarchical order. This sobriety results in social hierarchies in society to uphold law and order thus harmony. Still, the concept of duty and purposes is inculcated whereby each constituent part of the governing and subordinates parts of the society play their natural roles. Similarly, the just individual achieves harmony and internal peace through harmonious hierarchic and functioning of the constituent parts of the soul that is all aspects of life are governed by reason. Although all parts are distinct they only have a manifestation within reason to an extent of balance of an individual’s soul. Thus, a virtuous person cannot be in conflict with himself but is a well-ordered soul whose ways are informed by justice. This individual appreciates his place in the state and upholds right and just aptitudes whilst rejecting the appetites that conflict with the spirited part of the soul and those that violate ration. Such an individual additionally adheres to the notion of reason and upholds a conduct of moderation in everything he partakes (Mobile Reference, 2008). References Reich, M. Two Senses of ‘Justice‘in Plato’s Republic“ retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/167979/Two_Senses_of_Justice_in_Platos_Republic Rowett, C. Do we know what justice is Method in Platos Republic. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/1085440/Do_we_Know_what_justice_is_Method_in_Plato s_Republic Mobile Reference, . (2008). The Republic: By Plato. Boston: MobileReference.com. Read More