Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Gholamreza Saebi ¹
• Sayeed Islami ²

¹ PhD Candidate of political science (political thought), Islamic Azad University of Chalous Branch

² Associate Professor of Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Chalous Branch, Chalous, Iran

Abstract

This article attempt to say that the fundamental question about justice, according to Plato’s philosophy, is always the question: which government is better and which order is fairer and who has the authority of government over people? In Plato's view, justice must be realized within the individual and in the community. Justice in the city is found in the natural hierarchy and division of labor. In other words, Plato’s view of division of labor is divided into three types of peoples’ task in life which are workers as farmers, military type and guardians. Plato conceived of the state as an art in which the ruler should consider the interests of those who are under the rule and by keeping in mind the moderation and harmony of extremes, if one insists on following the selfish tendencies it gives rise to turmoil and chaos. Therefore, Plato conceives of the state as a human body with three parts, in which there are rulers and guards who are in good shape instead of the head and chest and abdomen. As a healthy and balanced person balances and appropriateness, the sign of a state of virtue is that anyone knows his place. This article seeks to explain the principles of the theory of justice based on the thesis of the Republic and its objections and also it seeks to provide an appropriate answer to the question: is justice, as Plato says, identical with the concept of virtue?

Highlights

Introduction

The Republic of Plato is considered one of the most important classical sources in the political philosophy. He, in the Republic, proposes his theory of justice in relation to his political views and ethical views, and thus establishes his favorite utopia. There were several factors that influenced Plato's thinking, but Socrates' death may perhaps be regarded as the greatest factor contributing to Plato's political thinking.

Justice and society

Justice is a principle of non-interference, which keeps within proper bounds the various classes of society, various individuals of each class and various elements in an individual’s soul. Of course, it can be said that the essential point is that Plato’s idea of justice articulates primarily an ethics for the exercise of power. In Plato's view, justice is an ideal that only the educated in the realm of philosophy have access to, and cannot be reached with the help of experience and sense.

Justice and soul

Also, in our article we consider another issue about justice in Plato, According to him, the human soul is comprised of three parts — an appetitive, a spirited and a rational part — all of which pull individuals in differing directions. Thus the components of the soul are the same in terms of number and function as the components of the city. The wise who pursue such virtue will not thereby fail to acknowledge the value of the other parts of the soul. But they will know to meet the needs of the lower soul in appropriate measure. Through the cultivation of a virtuous character, individuals are able to bring the lower parts of their souls under the control of their rational soul. Plato imagines the polity to have a similar tripartite structure to the individual. He argues that there just as an individual has a rational, a spirited, and an appetitive part, so does the polity.

Justice and virtue

So, Justice is, according to Plato, at once a part of human virtue and the bond, which joins man together in society. It is the identical quality that makes good and social. Justice is an order and duty of the parts of the soul; it is to the soul as health is to the body. Plato says that justice is not mere strength, but it is a harmonious strength. Justice is not the right of the stronger but the effective harmony of the whole. All moral conceptions revolve about the good of the whole-individual as well as social.

Conclusion

In this article, we sought to reach a critical conclusion and evaluation by describing Plato's theory of justice. The basis of Plato's justice must lie in the "imaginary world of the parable", and in fact the idea of justice, as in the other parables, contains the so-called interdependent truth that only a small group of "sages" know or discover. And the public does not have the right to occupy it. So, Plato's "idea of justice" is an abstract and pre-eminent principle not only about which can’t it be talked about, but basically the general public has no right to do so. In other hand, we believe that Plato's justice has an immutable, immutable, universal form, and thus, it is not controversial and has a singular and monolingual nature. The basis for determining justice and deserving of Plato is the parable of the wise rulers. In other words, in the Platonic school, the definition of justice should only be made by the "wise sages" who are conscious of the imaginary "parable", and this, in fact, leads to the possibility of corruption, even among the wise rulers, with the possibility of corruption.

References

-      Blossneer, N. (2007) The City-Soul Analogy, Cambridge University press.

-      Kosman, A. (2007) Justice and Virtue: The Republic’s Inquiry into Proper Difference, Cambridge University, press.

-      Kraut, R. (2007) The Defense of Justice in Plato’s Republic, Cambridge University press.

-      Plato (1992) Republic, Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc, First Edition.

-      Ratnapala, Suri (2009) Jurisprudence, Cambridge University Press.

-      Rawls, John (1971) A Theory of Justice, Harvard University Press.

Keywords

• justice؛ Republic؛ utopia؛ ruthless
• virtue & Plato