Plato One of the Concepts

Plato

One of the concepts from Plato's works which can be considered as being of great importance is that of the just city. The just city is the good city. Naturally, the city is inhabited and it is the people who make it what it is. However, one might argue that according to the philosopher's views, a just man can exist outside of a just city and even regardless of this latter's existence whereas the possibility of a just city the absence of just men is completely absurd.

If such statement is believed to be true, then the immediate conclusion that we can reach is that people are good by nature. This just nature is manifested regardless of the conditions in which people live (that is socially organized or not). But is this the most appropriate interpretation of Plato's work the "Republic"?

The philosopher believes that the development of man and society has taken place because this was the natural course that things could have followed. Man has fundamental needs which he must satisfy. With the passing of time man realizes that his capacities are limited and that it is more efficient to reunite his powers with the ones of his fellowmen. This should be the main reason for which people unite and reunite, creating the city.

Therefore it may be stated that the reasons for which the city is created are two. The first one resides in the incapacity of man to succeed in satisfying all his needs. The second one can be found in the desire of man to evolve. Let us analyze both aspects.

When stating that man alone fails to be as efficient as he would like to be, what is actually meant is that people should reunite their forces in order to reach a faster and better development. People are endowed with numerous qualities and they are also capable of constant learning. They adapt to the environment and to the unknown.

Furthermore, the level of knowledge and understanding increases as well. However, it is just as true that different people have different abilities and talents. Putting them together enables collaboration and collaboration seems to be the key for successful living. In reuniting their forces and creating the city, people do nothing else but manifest their own nature.

From a certain point-of-view the city could be considered a metaphor for the person. Just as the different organs perform different functions making the body and efficient and efficacious tool, it is in the same manner that people living together and performing different tasks are contributing to the good functioning of the city.

If the city is the result of a natural development that it means that in its existence we may see nothing more than the manifestation of nature- this makes sense if we take in consideration the supposition that nature- the human one- is intrinsically good. Naturally, the main guiding principle in the Good city is the one of justice (just people can do nothing else but create- and obey- justice).there are three philosophical concepts that Plato deals with here. One is "goodness." The other is "nature." The final one is "the just city." The just city is a manifestation of nature, whereas nature is a reflection of "goodness." In this mechanism it is justice the principles which allows things to function properly.

It has been established that people are good by nature and that the city can be considered a manifestation of this just nature. It is obvious that a just city can not exist in the absence of just men, because it is the men ho make up the laws of the city.

However, Plato admits the possibility for a just man to exist outside a just city. But if the city is the manifestation of human nature- which is just- and also the main tool in helping people achieve their purposes one can not help but wonder: under the mentioned circumstances, why should one individual choose to live outside the city?

Taking into consideration the fact that people actually fail to be just in their day-to-day behaviour and that they are often in conflict with each other, one could ask himself which was the argument that Plato had in mind as a defence of his thesis. It is worth underlining here that the philosopher actually makes a distinction between the true nature of man which is good and is reflected in the soul and the possibility for man's behaviour to be affected in a negative manner by the environment. A just city cannot exist without the just persons, but a just person can exist outside a right city.

Another interesting observation that could be made under these circumstances refers to the connection which arises between ethics and politics. Justice is the ruling principle in the good city. The political and social laws are also just and they serve the best interest of the people. What should then happen when people fail to be good? Plato actually writes that it is very difficult for the good city to exist (subsist?).

Here it is important to make a distinction between good as manifested in people, objects, situations and the idea of good. It may very well be stated that people understand the idea of good, but cannot clearly know which are the things that are good and which are the things which are bad until they have not experienced some of them.

In the good city people act according to just principles, but do they do it for their own good or for the city? If one should ask is there a distinction to be made between the city and the people, the answer is obviously "yes."

The argument that Plato brings is extremely strong. He argues that people are just because they can not simply be otherwise. People living in the good city obey the principle of justice not because they know that this will work to their advantage, but because goodness is an intrinsic value. They follow the principles of justice because it is the natural thing to do. The explanation may seem to be superficial, but the truth is that happiness is strictly connected to the people's way of being.

In other words one reaches a state of happiness when he is in a state of harmony with himself, when his nature has been manifested. If human nature is good, that the manifestation of good through daily actions represents nothing more but a manner through which happiness can be reached.

There is however an aspect which can be put under discussion. Taking into consideration examples of conflicts between people not just from the contemporary world, but from the entire history of mankind, one may state that while Plato's arguments are strong, there is no strong connection between the personal happiness (which could be considered a sort of personal justice and we may speak of an ethics of the soul) and the happiness of all the members of the city. The conflict may arise between personal justice and social one.

It is also important to mention that according to Plato there are various kinds of happiness. It depends not only on the person's capacity of performing his tasks, but also on the talents and abilities. From this point-of-view, it is easily understandable how the happiness of a philosopher or a politician will differ from the one of a person who has smaller intellectual capacities and more earthy inclinations.

There are three classes of people in the just city. People are divided between producers, guardians and rulers. The highest level of happiness can be reached by the philosophers because not only are they the ones who try most to find the truth, but they are also the ones who are able to understand it (we may refer here to the idea of good as contrasted with the manifestation of good in physical forms).