Plato's Just City and Human Nature in the Republic

Introduction: The Just City and Its People

One of the concepts from Plato's works that can be considered 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 the latter's existence — whereas the possibility of a just city in the absence of just men is completely absurd.

If such a statement is believed to be true, then the immediate conclusion we can reach is that people are good by nature. This just nature is manifested regardless of the conditions in which people live, whether socially organized or not. But is this the most appropriate interpretation of Plato's 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 unite his powers with those of his fellow men. This, according to Plato, is the main reason why people unite and create the city.

Why the City Exists: Human Need and Natural Development

It may be stated that the reasons for which the city is created are two. The first resides in the incapacity of man to succeed in satisfying all his needs alone. The second can be found in the desire of man to evolve. Both aspects deserve careful analysis.

When stating that man alone fails to be as efficient as he would like to be, what is actually meant is that people should unite their forces in order to reach a faster and better development. People are endowed with numerous qualities and 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 equally true that different people have different abilities and talents. Bringing them together enables collaboration, and collaboration seems to be the key to successful living. In uniting their forces and creating the city, people do nothing else but manifest their own nature.

Therefore it may be said that people are good by nature and that the city can be considered a manifestation of this just nature. The main guiding principle in the good city is that 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, justice is the principle that allows things to function properly.

The City as Metaphor for the Individual

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 an efficient and efficacious tool, so too do people living together and performing different tasks contribute to the good functioning of the city.

If the city is the result of a natural development, then in its existence we may see nothing more than the manifestation of nature. This makes sense if we take into consideration the supposition that human nature is intrinsically good. The city can very well be interpreted as a metaphor for the individual: if for the individual happiness means the harmony between reason and feeling and the manifestation of his own nature, then it is easy to see the analogy with just people living in the just city and obeying a principle of justice because that principle is their very own nature. In both cases, reason plays a fundamental role, and Plato underlines that it is better for people to have their actions guided by this particular part of the soul.