Short Essay #1 by Jordan Morris

Jordan Morris

PHI 360

Dr. Thomas

16 February 2016

Plato Short Essay 1

Throughout history, philosophers, rulers, scholars, and politicians have turned toward the Greek philosopher, Plato, to find the answers to basic questions and principals that continue to perplex mankind. Plato’s ideas revolutionized the subject of philosophy, and his works laid the foundation for many of the modern philosophical principals widely held today. Known for his unique use of dialogues for his arguments, Plato incorporated various didactic and ethical ideas, numerous interlocutors, and countless examples in order to successfully justify and prove his full arguments. His most famous work, The Republic, is revered as being one of the most significant and important pieces of not only philosophy, but also political theory.

In the Republic, Plato uses the character of Socrates in dialogue form to define, examine, analyze, and explain the concept of justice. Throughout the book, justice is continually studied in order to gain a better understanding of how to find it, as well as how it applies to both men individually and as a whole, but, as Socrates notes, examination is done so with great effort. Socrates makes an important comparison of justice being seen as an animal that needs to be hunted, and mankind must be the hunters. It is in book 4 that the interlocutor Socrates states, “so then Glaucon, we must, like hunters, now station ourselves in a circle around the thicket and pay attention so that justice doesn’t slip through somewhere and disappear into obscurity” (110).  This statement asserts that justice is something wild, elusive, and something that must be tracked and hunted in order to be attained. This paper will examine the idea of justice as an animal and mankind as the hunter of that animal, as well what it means for mankind to actively seek and “hunt” for justice.

In order to understand justice and mankind in relation to an animal and a hunter, one must first understand Plato’s foundational argument of justice. He begins discussing justice in Book 1 of the Republic having heard different arguments about what is justice. Cephalus offers that justice is, “speaking the truth and giving back what one takes,” (7), Polemarchus believes justice is, “doing good to friends and harm to enemies,” (8), and Thrasymachus offers the opinion that justice is, “the advantage of the stronger” (15) and that injustice far surpasses justice (21). After hearing all these arguments and their examples such as, Plato’s Socrates begins his construction of justice by suggesting they look to a city as an example for justice instead of the individual. As a “hunter,” Socrates is clearly attempting to illustrate the “search” for justice, and he feels the need to offer an example in a palpable, tangible city. Socrates illustrates that a city will complex and “luxurious” (49), and that such city will be wrought with mankind’s desires and passions. In order to protect the city and the people within the city, and in a sense “hunt” justice, Socrates proposes that the city must have protectors, or Guardians. Socrates describes these guardians, or hunters of justice as, “the man who’s going to be a fine and good guardian of the city for us will in his nature be philosophic, spirited, swift, and strong” (53). These Guardians, specially taught in all aspects of education, so they are well rounded, will seek out justice within cities and keep it as best they can.

Plato continues his analysis on justice being sought after by explaining how Guardians must be so specifically trained and cultivated in order to protect the city and successfully “hunt” and keep justice within the city. Socrates believes that education is pivotal in order to create Guardians. He advocates a firm basis of education that is free from poetry because it clouds the minds of the guardians when they are young and easily influenced as to what is real and what is unreal. Socrates claims, “a young thing can’t judge what is hidden sense and what is not; but what he takes into his opinions at that age has a tendency to become hard to eradicate and unchangeable. Perhaps its for this reason that we must do everything to insure that what they hear first, with respect to virtue, must be the finest told tales for them to hear” (56). By having a firm foundation free from untruth, a Guardian is able to continue to grow and be a proper “hunter” of justice. Socrates suggests that the Guardians must have a well-immersed education recognizing, “the forms of moderation, courage, liberality, magnificence, and all their kin, and again, their opposites, everywhere they turn up, and notice that they are in whatever they are in” (81). It is with these virtues that the Guardians are able to better serve and protect as well as seek out justice. Socrates also emphasizes the education of be based in gymnastics, so the Guardians are physically fit and able to withstand illnesses. Socrates explains why, stating, “it doesn’t look to me as thought it’s a sound body that by its virtue makes the soul good, but the opposite: a good soul by its own virtue makes the body as good as it can be… we gave adequate care to the intellect and turned over to it the concern for the precise details about the body” (82). Therefore, body must be paid just as much attention as the mind in order for a guardian to be fully well rounded.  A physically fit, and healthy body are indicative of an active hunter, and this is another example that the Guardians are analogous to hunters. 

Socrates continues to explain this view of Guardians as the hunters of the sought after, sacred, wanted justice in book 4 when he makes the literal comparison. After discussing the education of Guardians and the founding of the city, Socrates believes that justice can now be seen clearly. He states, “we can somehow see where the justice might be,” (105) and therefore, it can be hunted by the guardians. It is the responsibility of the Guardians to find and keep the justice among the people and the city because they are skilled with wisdom. Socrates states, “it’s the guardian’s skill,” (106), and it is with this that they are able to search for justice in the city. He states, “clearly it’s somewhere hereabouts. Look to it and make every effort to catch sight of it; you might somehow see it” (110). In order to finally find justice, Socrates states that the other key virtues: wisdom, courage, and moderation, must be found first. He then claims that it is justice that is what is blatantly found afterwards. Socrates states that after the elusive hunt, “after having considered moderation, courage, and prudence, this is what’s left over in the city; it provided the power by which all these others came into being; and…justice would be what’s left over from the three if we found them” (111).  Therefore, in order to find justice, Guardians must hunt for and find all other virtues, and they will then attain justice.

The process of finding justice within a city is perfectly compared to that of a hunter. In such a complex city, there is a need for a specific type of man to find this justice. Socrates proposes that philosophers are the right type of men, and deems them Guardians. He then explains that these men must be properly trained in a variety of subjects and areas in order to be able to find and keep justice within the city. Just as hunters must be trained to hunt, these Guardians must be trained to seek justice. As they are finally able to seek justice within the city, they must first find wisdom, moderation, and courage, and once they do, justice easily be attained. While this process is less than simple, it renders the best result, a just city. Socrates stands by his process as well as advocates for the proper rendering of the hunters of justice. To Socrates, as well as all hunters, preparation for the hunt is the key, and once all is prepared, the hunt can be executed successfully. In the end, justice is the fallen animal of the hunt.