Republic Book 4 and 6 Reading Guide

Question 1

1. Once the city is founded, Socrates and his interlocutors try to determine where justice is to be found in it. He proposes justice by first identifying other virtues in the city. Which other virtues, specifically, will they identify (note: the translator identifies this as the Greek cardinal virtues)?

Answer 1

Wisdom, Courage/Bravery, Temperance

Question 2

2. Where in the city is Wisdom, Bravery, and Temperance found? Name and describe each place.

Answer 2

Temperance is found in the rulers and the ruled.
Wisdom is found in “the governing and ruling class
Courage, or Bravery according to Socrates, is found in the belief about dangers, what is dangerous, and what is not, which was engendered through education

Question 3

3. After looking at the attributes of the city, where did Socrates and the interlocutors find justice? What is Justice, and where is it found in the city?

Answer 3

They determine justice is inwardly and truly his own business in himself. He must have put all three parts in tune within him, highest and lowest and middle, exactly like the three chief notes of a scale

Question 4

4. Now it is time to apply justice to the individual! First, they decide that they must determine whether the soul has three parts, similar to the city (the guardians, the soldiers, and the people). It is clear that the soul has different parts, for there, is part of the soul which desires or is passionate, another part which fights and is spirited or emotional, and a final part of the soul which restrains the desirous part and the fighting or spirited part. What do they name these three parts?

Answer 4

Justice

Question 5

5. Now there are three parts of the city that have similar attributes to the three parts of the soul. To which part of the soul does each part of the city correspond, and wherein the soul does wisdom, bravery, and temperance reside?

Answer 5

Wisdom is in the governing and ruling class (pg. 264), temperance is in the ruling and two ruled (pg 282), and bravery is a preservative which preserves the belief about dangers, what is dangerous and what is not (pg. 265).

Question 6

6. They also talk about the qualities of a guardian. What kind of individual is suited to be a guardian?

Answer 6

One who is in love with learning, who never leaves hold of this being, and one who must reach after all truth with all his might from youth upwards. Pg. 329-330