(Also entitled, Ruling People 101)
I've recently started reading Plato's Republic (which is quite good, and I suggest it to everyone), and have thought of a little something which might be entertaining to do.
I'm talking about a passage in which Socrates and Adeimantus are discussing whether or not virtue, and thus justice, is of the state or of the individual. And, since the WEPR if filled with such a broad and diverse community, what better place to pose such a question?
For those of you who may not know what exactly I'm talking about, or don't have ready access to a copy of the Republic, here's the opening passage:
Very true, said Adeimantus; but how does the illustration apply to our inquiry?
I will tell you, [Socrates] replied; justice, which is the subject of our inquiry, is, as you know, sometimes spoken of as the virtue of an individual, proceeding from the greater to the lesser and comparing them.
That, he said, is an excellent proposal.
And if we imagine the State in process of creation, we shall see the justice and injustice of the State in process of creation also.
I dare say.
When the State is completed there may be a hope that the object of our search will be more easily discovered.
Yes, far more easily.
Given the axiom that a State arises from the needs and wants of man, let us consider the following:
-What constitutes a State; the existence of itself, or the presence of the governed?
-If said governed object to being governed, is the body still a State?
-How ought a State be governed? By whom?
-How ought a State interact with other States? With the governed? With individuals outside the State?
-Will a State ever need to defend itself, and if so, can it rightly do so?
And finally,
-Does the nature of Justice derive from the State, from the Governed, or from some one or some thing else?
And to give meaning to the debate, let's actually construct this hypothetical State as Socrates did. Since a State is created out of the needs and wants of man, and these needs and wants of man can be best fulfilled by a group, we can then assume that our State must have a body of those to be governed.
Hypothetical State
-The Governed: A body of people who exist to serve and fulfill the needs of others in the State.
Edit, Add, and Remove to this list as you'd like, so long as you can justify each change. Enjoy.
