Justice In Plato's The Republic

281 Words2 Pages
In book IV of The Republic, after building the perfect city, and defining the roles of the people in the city, Socrates goes forth and puts his own definition of justice out. He says “Further, we have heard many people say, and have often said ourselves, that justice is to perform one’s own task and not to meddle with that of others” (p. 68). Socrates had previously defined the three classes present in the perfect city, the rulers, auxiliaries, and craftsmen. In essence, Socrates is saying that in order for justice to be present in a city, one must commit to their class, and do the specific duties of that class. The rulers should rule the town, the auxiliaries should protect the town, and the craftsmen should produce goods for the city. The
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