Plato's Theory of Justice

Paper Summary:

This paper presents a critique of Johann Gottfried Stallbaum's (1793-1861) vague and generally accepted thesis that the true argument of "The Republic" is "the representation of human life in a State perfected by justice and governed according to the idea of good" . The paper contrasts a discussion of what justice refers to in Plato's thought and how justice is related to the Good, as defined by Plato, to the subtly deceptive and incomplete idea of Gottfried's exegesis.

From the Paper:

"In "The Republic" separate functions are the foundation for justice. Justice is the professed aim of the constitution of the kallipolis. It becomes visible in individuals because justice is the order of the state, which in turn is its visible embodiment. The one is the soul and the other is the body in the Greek ideal of a fair mind in a fair body. In Hegel's language, the state becomes the reality of which Justice is the ideal. Political justice is the harmony in a constituted body based on specialization. This is a direct refutation of Stallbaum's description because his generalization makes no mention of the roles the people have in the development of justice in the State. Plato regards the ideal form of the perfect city as the ideal form of the good person. Plato is not interested in "the representation of human life in a State perfected by justice" because he is arguing that a kallipolis requires a specialized constituted community in order to exist under the guidance of the Guardians."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Reeve, C.D.C. "Plato: The Republic". Hackett Publishing Company. 1992.
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Gottfried_Stallbaum

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