The Republic: Book IV

In book 4 of the Republic , Plato discusses the ideal way of life that every Ruler and Auxiliary should assume in order to ensure happiness for the whole community. The ideal way of life for the Rulers refers to a life of austere simplicity whereby they have the right education that ensures that they can behave humanely not just with each other but also with their subjects. As Socrates discusses the system of their housing , he lays down two vital conditions. Firstly, he states that a guardian should not hold any private property beside the ‘’barest essentials’’ that he requires. Secondly, none of them shall be allowed to own a store-house or dwelling-house where all of them cannot enter. Besides they should live together in a discipline manner like soldiers in an assigned camp. In no way should they covet the gold and silver that ordinary citizens might possess.

All these conditions bring Adeimantus to question if these provisions will ever ensure the Guardians’ happiness as he compares the Guardians to ‘’hired mercenaries’’. To this Socrates confirms that their purpose is not to ensure the happiness of a minor single class but to make sure that the whole state is happy. He further exemplifies his statement with the illustration of painting a statue where the painter cannot afford to lend the eyes the purple colour just because purple looks best in the eyes. Instead he has to colour the eyes in a way that it make the whole statue look beautiful. Socrates also states that if every single class is allowed to be content and happy then the potters and farmers will not fulfill the duty expected of them. Hence to make the whole community happy the guardian class has to live a life of restrictions.

While Socrates debars the Guardian class from possessing any private property, he also expects them to see that there is no inequality in the distribution of wealth in the Third class which is allowed to hold private properties. He strictly believes that the two main things that can corrupt workers or ruin them are wealth and poverty. While poverty might deprive a person of the basic training and tools, excess of the wealth on the other hand might promote idleness among the third class. Besides these they need to pay heed to what Socrates touts as the‘’big thing’’, that is ,the system of education and upbringing that can develop children into future citizens of sound character. Therefore the Guardians ‘’should build their main defences’’ in education.

Socrates suggests that the growth of a state should be completely in adherence to the unity of the state. It should not be so large that there are several distinct groups in them which cannot withhold the unity for a long time. While the idea of unity is essential , Socrates also discusses why a state like an individual should be just thus finally explaining what Justice means and answering the question he raised in the previous chapters. The ideal state that he strives to make of Athens should possess the various virtues of wisdom, courage , justice and discipline. Since the state has to be the best state so it should have the capability to be its own master through self-discipline. To Socrates, Justice refers to minding one’s own business and doing the thing one is most naturally suited for. It includes keeping what’s one’s own and not interfering in anyway into other people’s business. The idea of a state is related to the idea of an individual with the various parts of his mind comprising reason, desires and other faculties like ambition ,indignation and pugnacity. Justice can be promoted when all these three elements are in harmony with each other in an individual quite analogous to the state and its elements. If one element trespasses another or interferes with another, then there is bound to be what Socrates concludes as injustice. In an individual this happens when the different elements of mind are displaced or confused. A conclusion is drawn with the discussion moving towards how justice pays better than injustice in different circumstances.