Plato’s Republic – The Soul, Justice, and the Ideal City

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms and concepts from Socrates’ discussion of the soul, justice, and the ideal city in Plato’s Republic.

Socrates’ proof for two parts of the soul

The case of a thirsty man who refuses to drink; the contradiction shows that distinct rational and appetitive elements must exist.

Rational part of the soul

The smallest, ruling element that seeks truth and should govern the person, like the philosopher-rulers in the ideal city.

Spirited part of the soul

The courageous, honor-loving element aligned with soldiers; it supports and obeys reason against appetite.

Appetitive part of the soul

The largest, desire-driven element craving bodily pleasures, likened to a many-headed beast needing supervision.

Ring of Gyges

A magic ring granting invisibility, used to ask whether people would act unjustly if they could avoid detection.

Gyges Question

“If you can get away with wrongdoing, why be just?”—the moral challenge posed by the ring story.

Glaucon’s contention about justice

People practice justice only because they must, not because they value it intrinsically.

City–Soul Analogy

Socrates’ claim that the city and the soul share a tripartite structure, making justice easier to study in the larger ‘city in speech.’

Socrates’ political project

Constructing an imaginary, perfectly ordered city to discover the nature of justice in both city and soul.

Noble Lie (Myth of the Metals)

A founding myth teaching that all citizens are earth-born and possess gold, silver, or bronze souls matching their social roles.

Gold, silver, and bronze souls

Gold for rulers, silver for auxiliaries, bronze for farmers and craftsmen—status assignments justified by the Noble Lie.

Composite creature image of the soul

A fused being of human (reason), lion (spirit), and many-headed monster (appetite) illustrating the proper hierarchy within the soul.