Plato, the Republic by Francis Macdonald Cornfield.

Plato, the Republic by Francis MacDonald Cornfield. Answer each question fully explaining the answer.

What is Socrates explanation of the nature of justice in individuals?

Socrates determines through much discussion that the nature of justice in the individual is associated with a balance of the natural state of harmony in the individual. The individual therefore determines his or her ideal of justice by being true to his or her most suitable practice. For Socrates, justice in the individual is harmony among the three principles of the soul, (reason, appetite, and spirit) achieved by rationality, or reason the wisest faculty. Justice in individuals is analogous to the justice of a society as justice is achieved only when those more capable and educated to lead are leading as an aspect of their most suitable practice, when those elements are in place in a society then the society is just and Socrates would say that the individuals within it are also just.

According to Socrates, what are the attributes of a philosopher?

According to Socrates the attributes of a philosopher include the ultimate desire to truly examine himself to gain knowledge and wisdom through the course of his lifetime. The role of the philosopher is to educate others about the goals of seeking answers to life's questions through deep and knowledge filled introspection. The philosopher does not propose that he or she has all the answers to all things in the world but instead demands of his students the growth of their desire to seek answers through a lifetime of introspection and observation.

3. What are the two respects in which Socrates thinks the sun and the Good are similar?

Socrates deems that the sun and the Good are similar as both illuminate the knowledge and wisdom of the world. The sun through the vision of the eye shows the viewer the things that exists in their true light, while when the sun is absent and the world is illuminated only by the moon or the stars the objects are obscured by shadow and are not reflective of their viewable selves. The Good serve the same purpose in society as the Good serve to illuminate for others, who are willing to see the way things really are inside and out within the world. The good, like the sun, both illuminates and nurtures, though its object is the soul and not the earth.

4. How does Socrates apply the Allegory of the Cave to politics?

The Allegory of the Cave as applied to politics by Socrates relates to the development of guardians, who with the proper education can and will become the just and true rulers of society. The Cave allegory itself is Socrates description of the way we actually see things, as if illuminated by a small fire that allows only the shadows of reality to be illuminated upon them, thus if one were only able to see those shadows he would believe them to be the truth, and to become a whole person a member of the Good or a guardian one must not only see those shadows but must be lead above to learn that the sun shines down and shows reality as it truly is. The guardian then after years of education and traveling from within the cave to above within the light and educated with a desire to learn and a desire to serve can become a just and true ruler.

5. According to Socrates, what is the state of mind of a despotic person?