platos republic an analysis

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For Plato and the Greeks, the city is an organism. A living thing that, in all ways, must be healthy in order to thrive. In Plato’s “ideal city”, there are three classes of citizens, each with different, specific roles in which they must play in order for justice and happiness to prevail. There are also three key components to the soul; the appetitive, the spirited, and the rational. The individual must have all of these in balance with one another to be truly just and virtuous. Although with that being said, the individual must live in accordance with the four virtues (justice, wisdom, courage, and moderation) so that the soul can be in balance. Through this the individual, and the city as an organism can become truly great. What is required of the individual in their maturation and growth to attain this balance? From 403c9 to 404b8, Plato lays out one of the most important elements to achieve a good and Kalos soul; gymnastics.
In this passage, Plato lays out through Socrates and Glaucon how a good act can lead to the function of good character and makes people (in this passage the rising “guardian” class) more likely to follow their reason. Socrates then turns to the physical education of the guardians and says that it should include physical training that prepares them for war, a careful diet, and habits that contribute to the avoidance of doctors. He also speaks of the fondness for kalos among the young guardians. Their taste for beauty will help them prefer noble deeds over vulgar, ugly ones. For Socrates, this means censoring poets and their stories of God’s that paint them in a negative (unjust or immoral) light. God’s are meant to be the pinnacle of being and cannot show human vices like jealousy, lust, untruthfulne...

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...Dillon, Ariel. "Education in Plato's Republic." Education in Plato's Republic. http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/submitted/dillon/education_plato_republic.html (accessed February 9, 2014).
Jowett, Benjamin. "Introduction." In The dialogues of Plato. Champaign, Ill.: Project Gutenberg, 1999. 153-55.
"LitCharts | The Republic: Book 3 Summary, Analysis & Themes." LitCharts | The Republic: Book 3 Summary, Analysis & Themes. http://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-republic/book-3 (accessed February 9, 2014).
Rosen, Stanley. "Part 2." In Plato's Republic: a study. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005. 122-23.
Zunjic, Dr. Bob . "PLATO." Republic. http://www.uri.edu/personal/szunjic/philos/republ.htm (accessed February 9, 2014).
Wilson, Jeffery Dirk. "Plato's Republic." Class lecture, The Classical Mind from Catholic University of America, Washington D.C, January 17, 2014.

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