Plato's City/Soul Analogy

Outline

I. Raising the Bar

a. Division of Goods

b. Gyges's Ring

c. Tale of Two Lives

II. Two Principles

a. "Same term, same property" principle. "If two things are both called 'F', then they are 'F' in exactly the same way.

b. "Part-whole" principle. If a group has a certain property, then its members have that property.

III. The City/Soul Analogy

a. Parts of the Soul

b. Parts of the City

c. Difficulties with the analogy

IV. Why do philosopher-kings rule?

Parts of the City

· Productive Class

· Auxiliary Class

· Guardians

Parts of the Soul

· Desiring part

· Spirited part

· Reasoning Part

Virtues in City and Soul

Virtue	City	Soul
Courage	Members of the army (auxiliaries) are courageous	Spirited part dominates
Wisdom	Wisdom in guardians; guardians rule	Reason rules
Moderation	Classes accept who is to rule.	Part of the soul "accept" which desires are to rule.
Justice	Each class "does its own"; accepts its role in the city. Harmony between classes.	Each part of the soul "does its own." No conflict between desires of different parts of the soul.

Bibliography:

Annas, Julia, An Introduction to Plato's Republic, Claredon Press, Oxford (1981).

Williams, Bernard, "The Analogy of City and Soul in Plato's Republic," in Exegesis and Argument, Phronesis, supplement 1.