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A philosophical dialogue about justice and education.
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Giang Pham (she/her) Professor Margaret Koker (she/her) Sep 28, 2023 LEARNING JOURNAL W3-4: 427d-445e In this section, Socrates and Glaucon discuss the four cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, moderation, and justice. They argue that these virtues are essential for both the individual and the society to flourish. Socrates begins by defining wisdom as the knowledge of the good. He then argues that the rulers of the ideal city should be wise since they are responsible for the well-being of the entire city. Knowing what is best for the city as a whole, not just for one particular group of residents, is wisdom. The city must be united if it is to function effectively, and it can only be united if its rulers prioritize the welfare of the entire community over the good of a single segment at the expense of the entire. Given its destabilizing implications, Socrates has already suggested that good rulers will work to reduce economic disparity. Economic inequality is inevitable and may even be advantageous, but when it becomes excessive, the poor and rich cities become at war with one another instead of one united metropolis. Just as the ideal city’s founders aimed not to make any one group outstandingly happy but to make the whole so, as far as possible, its rulers must aim at the good of the city as a whole. Next, Socrates defines courage as the willingness to stand up for what is right, even in the face of danger. He argues that the auxiliaries, who are the soldiers and defenders of the city, should be courageous. A remarkable similarity between courage and wisdom is that both are cognitive processes at their core. According to Socrates, courage is the capacity to uphold the correct and legally mandated beliefs about what should be feared and what should not. I think that the guardians' wisdom is a form of knowledge, but the auxiliary's bravery is a matter of faith rather than knowledge. Moderation is then defined as the balance between extremes. Socrates argues that both the rulers and the auxiliaries should be moderate in their desires and appetites. Contrary to courage and intelligence, moderation does not distinguish any one class in the city; rather, it permeates the entire community. Socrates begins by pointing out the obvious link between self-control and moderation (also known as temperance). Finally, Socrates defines justice as the harmony of the three other virtues: wisdom, courage, and moderation. He argues that a just city is one in which each class of citizens performs its proper function and lives in accordance with the virtues. Socrates and Glaucon conclude their discussion of virtue by arguing that the just person is the happiest person. They argue that the just person is able to live in harmony with themselves and with others and that this harmony leads to a life of true happiness. Plato's ideal city is a just city, one in which each class of citizens performs its proper function and lives in accordance with the virtues. Recall that justice is every part of a whole fulfilling its assigned role and not meddling in the duties of the other parts. In order to determine whether a man’s parts are performing their proper roles, we must first identify the parts that comprise man. According to Socrates, man is composed of three parts – the rational and irrational parts that have already been discussed, and the spirited part, which is the passionate ally of the rational part.
All in all, I suppose that Plato's concept of virtue is complex and multifaceted. He does not simply define virtue as a list of good qualities, but rather as a way of living that leads to human flourishing. Plato also believes that virtue is teachable and that people can learn to be virtuous. He argues that education is essential for developing the virtues of wisdom, courage, and moderation.